Naruto Uchiha: The Prophet with the Cursed Eyes
by MattMC3
Summary: A family who is seen as perfect is not quite so perfect. Their neglect pushes away their son. It is this neglect that leads him to his strength. The only question is will he use his strength for peace or for chaos? Cold Naruto. Strong Naruto.
1. The Results of Neglect

**Disclaimer: **Matt does not own Naruto or any other characters mentioned here

Naruto Uchiha: The Prophet with the Cursed Eyes

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**7 years after the Kyuubi attack**

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A tiny shadow was sprinting down the vacant streets turning at random intervals panting roughly from the constant strenuous activity. The only way of actually telling there was a presence moving along the streets was thanks to the lights that casted a shadow as the presence moved past them. The shadow finally came to a halt in an isolated alleyway trying to capture its fleeting breath. That shadow outline took a few moments to capture its breath as it basked in the silence that permeated the immediate vicinity. As the minutes crawled on by as did the position of the moon's light. Underneath of the heavenly body's glow the shadowed silhouette was instantly dissipated revealing just who it was. The shadow was now replaced by a boy no older than seven years old whose jet, black hair seemed to radiate in the moon light. Even though his eyes were half-lidded due to exhaustion and mental fatigue but his azure blue eyes still glowed brilliantly in the dead of the night. His face was covered in dirt and small cuts that were dried over by blood thanks to running all over the village all night. His most prominent facial features were three dark whisker birth marks on each one of his cheeks. His skin was fairly well tanned most likely from his constant movement. He wore a white shirt that had multiple stains and tatters. His cream colored slacks had holes on the knees and thighs showing their deplorable condition. His white shoes had holes on the insides as the soles hung down. The tired ravenette's breathing hitched when he heard the stomping of numerous pairs of feet and loud voices nearing his position.

"The demon went this way!"

"Today is the day we finally rid ourselves of that plague!"

"Yes now we can finish what our beloved Yondaime started!"

That last exclamation really got the frenzied mob's blood pumping as images of the Yondaime Hokage entered their alcohol influenced minds. The young boy could feel the stampede getting closer and closer as he watched the loose smaller objects rattle. Naruto inched back into the furthest, darkest corner of the alley and curled up into a ball. Naruto shut his eyes and prayed to anyone that was listening to spare him from the torture of the Fox Hunts that always occurred on his birthday. The things that occurred to him ranged from being stabbed in the eye to being bludgeoned by any number of blunt objects. Last year however was by far the worst out of all of the Fox Hunts. The mob discovered that when set on fire his skin would regenerate before the fire would actually kill him so he needed to stay there as a human bonfire for two hours. They continued the treatment until Naruto begged them for death but then as usual the ANBU stepped in and drove the mob away and took him to the hospital. Only for him to lie in the bed and heal on his own since the doctors refused to heal him. He still wondered why he never went unconscious.

Naruto was shaken from his thoughts when a shrill shriek alerted the blood thirsty mob to his location. Naruto looked up to see that the mob had already positioned itself at the only way in to or out of the alley. Naruto's facial expression curled into one of disgust as he smelled the alcohol reeking off of the Fox Hunters. There was a woman with pink hair at the head of the mob who was giving him the nastiest glare he had ever seen. He couldn't understand why she hated him so much he had never done anything wrong. It was like the matron at the orphanage all over again.

"We finally cornered you, you damn demon!" The pink haired woman screeched out which made Naruto slap his hands over his ears. The crowd was so intoxicated that they didn't even wince when the pink haired ring leader spoke in an abnormal decibel, which was saying something considering just how loud her screech was.

"I am not a demon!" Naruto yelled back defiantly disputing the woman's false claim. Naruto inched back until his back hit the cold stone wall. He had nowhere left to go this time. He knew he couldn't count on the ANBU who were supposed to be watching him to help out.

"Yes you are! You killed our loved ones you monster!" The woman shouted at the cornered boy as her anger kept growing. Her eyes only saw red as reminders of all she lost breached her mind making her anger grow exponentially. Now she finally had the chance to cleanse herself of the demon plague.

"I'm no demon lady! My name is Naruto Namikaze-Uzumaki and I have never killed any of your loved ones!" Naruto exclaimed honestly because he was only seven he couldn't kill anyone even if he wanted to. He had never even met these people outside of these Fox Hunts so he never met their families. The only people that would speak to him were a few of the ANBU, the Ichirakus, and the Old Man. Why, why did the villagers hate him so much? It just didn't make sense to him.

It was now that two men sporting Chunin flak jack vests walked out of the mob and stood in front of the pink haired lady. They both had shaggy black hair with matching grey, soulless eyes that only added to their evil façade or at least they appeared to the ravenette that way. They both wore smug grins that promised unbearable amounts of pain for the demon in front of the two Hidden Leaf shinobi. It was now that Naruto realized that these two were actually twins something he missed in his earlier panicked state. "It doesn't matter who you are anymore demon because soon you'll just be a pile of smoldering ash." They bellowed smugly and in perfect unison.

If the situation had not been so dire for Naruto he would have sweat dropped at the ridiculousness of the two goons in front of him. Naruto released one last exhausted sigh as he finally gave up on his attempt to explain himself. Naruto shut his eyes and bit down on his tongue since there was no way he would give them the satisfaction of hearing his screams of pain.

The sadistic twins broke into a fit of chuckles when they noticed the demon's pitiful actions. "Already giving up are we little demon?" The one on the left taunted his victim as he grinned evilly. Both men went through the hand signs for the Grand Fireball Jutsu to make good on their promise of death. Then they noticed that a man had moved in between them and was also looking at the ravenette demon. They both turned their grey eyes on the mysterious man with curiosity.

The man was tall and lean with a short beard, mustache, and side burns that ended by pointing upwards. He wore a golden cross pendant around his neck that hung down and rested on his chest. On his head was a wide-brimmed black hat decorated by a large white plume on top of it. He wore a long black coat that was left open and it blew with the wind and he wasn't wearing a shirt underneath. The collar and sleeves of the coat sported a flower pattern over the red fabric stitched into the coat. His light purple pants were held in place by a decorated belt and tucked into his large boots. There was a large ornately decorated blade strapped on to his back vertically. The blade was at least seven feet in length from tip of the grip to the point of the blade. The hilt of the blade was a golden cross guard with golden bars extending to the left and right. The handle of the blade was wrapped up with white tape and had a blue bead as the pommel of the hilt. The long blade was midnight black with a very prominent sheen running along the bottom. Overall the blade in its entirety looked like a large black cross. The most noticeable feature of the man was not the blade on his back but the golden yellow eyes that made them look like those of a hawk. The man released his extremely lengthy blade slowly and without shifting his gaze. Naruto had not seen any of this thanks to having his eyes shut.

The twin on the right looked at the magnificent black blade and whistled in appreciation as he gazed at it. "That is an impressive blade you got there friend. I can't wait to see it cut that demon-" That was when the man's angry, hate infused monologue was cut off literally by the unknown blade wielder. The unknown swordsman with a singular fluid motion separated the Leaf Chunin at the stomach. The torso and the legs each fell to the ground with separate thuds at the moment of contact. Basking in a bath of blood were the man's intestines which were emptied from where his stomach once was.

The brother of the now corpse cried out in equal parts shock and anger as the sudden actions finally settled in. "You bastard why would you do that instead of killing that demon!?" That was the last word the man would ever utter as the mystery man brought the midnight, black blade up and separated the second twin's head from his shoulders. The head fell to the ground and rolled over to the front of the mob looking at the people there with the same shocked and angry expression telling them he never saw the attack coming. The people at the front of the group each took a step back in fear except the pink haired ring leader.

The mob looked down in shock at the head that was staring back at them each with fear lingering in their eyes. A few of the more weak willed members turned a sickly shade of green and quickly made to exit the alley to empty the contents of their stomach thanks to the grisly scene and the affects of the alcohol. The pink haired leader moved her mouth to speak but paused when she felt cold steel pressed against her neck. "I believe there was a certain law passed in this village prohibiting anyone to speak about a certain event seven years ago. The punishment for breaking said law is death. A death _Yoru_ will be glad to grant you." The man's voice echoed throughout the silent alley but despite his calm tone each person could feel the threat behind those words. As if agreeing with its master's words the black blade known as _Yoru _gleamed.

No one in the mob said a word or even moved a muscle as fear paralyzed them when they all gazed fearfully at the blade. All of the poor excuses for human beings were rooted to their spots as each person viewed their demise in the reflection of the blade. It may have only been a few but due to the thick tension it felt like hours of unbearable silence. Finally when the man with the eyes of a hawk lowered his blade they let out a breath they were consciously holding in. "Disappear" With that the one word command the mob dispersed in a hurry trying to funnel out of the suddenly too thin alleyway fearing for their meager livelihoods. The swordsman watched impassively as the rats scurried away. He moved to the two corpses and removed their bodies from Naruto's line of sight to avoid from traumatizing the young boy. He turned back to see the raven haired boy still against the wall trembling. Reaching out he placed a comforting hand on top of Naruto's head but Naruto flinched in response.

The man's stoic expression cracked for the first time since he had entered the village since this boy who he knew was so terrified. It was his first time in the Hidden Leaf Village since his Minato Namikaze was nominated as Hokage and here his son was being treated like this. He could only ask why when he met the boy's father. Also if he recalled correctly today was Naruto and his sisters, Naomi and Narumi's birthday. This also brought more questions to the legendary swordsman's mind. "It is quite alright young one. I will do you no harm. I promise." Mihawk's voice was smooth and calm.

Naruto felt this man, Mihawk's hand rustle through his black hair and let his eyes slowly open up so he could gaze up at the man with the eyes of a hawk. Naruto continued to look into the taller male's eyes seeking out the anger, disgust, or just emptiness he always saw when gazing into most of the people he had always seen. When he couldn't find it no matter how deep he looked the boy eased himself from under the man's hand so he could look at him unobstructed. "Excuse me Mister but what is your name?" Naruto asked in the most polite tone he could muster afraid if he spoke the wrong way he would be assaulted by the swordsman.

Mihawk smiled softly at the polite raven haired boy and cleared his throat so he would be heard clearly. "My name is Mihawk Dracule young Naruto and I am actually a friend of your family." At the mention his keen eyes could see the young Namikaze-Uzumaki tense at the mention of his family. "Is it not your birthday? If so why are you not at home celebrating with them?" Mihawk questioned Naruto in the same soft tone of voice not wanting to rattle the scared boy. Naruto shuffled in place as his eyes found the road to be the most interesting of places at this moment in time.

"Well since it is our birthday they took Naomi and Narumi out to eat and get ready for the party. Then Tou- … Minato told me to go to my room. Which I did but after a few hours I came out and then I was on my way to the Forest then the villagers found me." Naruto admitted in a soft yet still bitter tone. Naruto personally wondered why he couldn't bring himself to call Minato his father but shrugged it off for something that would pass without much more thought. He was only seven after all such things were beyond his scope of comprehension.

'That doesn't sound like the Minato and Kushina I know. Kushina was ecstatic when she learned she'd be having triplets. That didn't change when I helped Minato fight the Kyuubi. When I visit them I will ask them about Naruto without telling them I know where he is. Hopefully their neglect hasn't cost them a son.' Mihawk recalled Naruto's subconscious correction on how he addressed Minato. 'If they fail my test then I shall train the boy until the academy years are over and send him back to the village.' Mihawk had yet to train or even name an apprentice, someone who he could train and teach some of his skills to pass on to the next generation.

"Naruto follow me. I will take you somewhere that you will be safe from these _people_." Mihawk strained to say the word as in reality they were nothing more than monsters blinded by hate towards what they are using as a scapegoat. Naruto shuffled over a little closer to Mihawk when the elder man and the boy walked through the Shinobi District. This was where most of the _Fox Hunters_ lived since they were Chunin and Genin mostly. Naruto hoped that Mihawk was strong enough to deal with the people who seemed to live just to hate him. That tension soon faded as the pair entered the Clan District where they were mostly neutral to his presence. Neutral to him except the two most arrogant of Konoha's clans, the Hyuga and Uchiha, two of the four Noble Clans.

That was why he got nervous again when they entered the Uchiha compound where the red eyed humans all glared in their direction. Mihawk just ignored them unless they started to glare at Naruto then he flared his Killer Intent at them. The discerning eye of Mihawk Dracule picked up on their tense behavior and high state of alert but decided to think on that later. Naruto smiled softly when he saw the familiar house in the center of the compound. Mihawk stepped up and knocked on the front door gently as he and Naruto remained in a comfortable silence.

There was the sound of a few hurried footsteps before the paper thin sliding door slid open to reveal a stoic teen. The teen had deep, black eyes that matched his hair which was worn in a ponytail, his bangs were short. He had on a black shirt with the Uchiha clan symbol on the back with bandages around his ankles and black sandals. The teen's black eyes widened when he saw who was standing before him. This was Itachi Uchiha the eldest son of Fugaku and Mikoto Uchiha. He was surprised because first off there was a swordsman even more renowned than the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist in front him. Secondly, the person he was getting ready to see was already here in front of him.

"Itachi-Nii!" Naruto exclaimed happily as he launched himself at the teen's shins and clung on to the teen. Itachi looked down at Naruto with a curious gaze before he to matched the infectious smile on Naruto's face. After getting Naruto to let go of him Itachi turned to look at Mihawk and silently motioned for them to enter. As the two walked by him he shot a glance at two Uchiha conversing while looking his way with their Sharingan spinning. Responding with his own blazing glare Itachi slid the door closed and walked to the living space where Naruto and Mihawk were sitting.

Mihawk waited until the young Uchiha had taken a seat next to an absolutely beaming Naruto before he addressed him. "It is good to see you again Itachi. I assume all is well in your training?" Mihawk inquired with an assertive voice that made Itachi stiffen slightly as he was gazed upon. Shifting with unease Itachi mustered the courage to look at his one-time sensei whose eyes had always unnerved him. This was the man who had taught Itachi all of the basics of what it meant to be a shinobi. He taught him to master basic techniques and also how to control his emotions. However that only applied to negative emotions which always reared up on the battlefield and would cause an early death.

"Hai sensei I have made sure to always keep my basics sharper than they were the day before. As well as reigning in my emotions when the case calls for it." Itachi responded in an even tone that was nearing monotone. Itachi released a breath he didn't know he was holding once he saw his old sensei nod his head in approval of his choices. Itachi then looked at the curious Naruto who was trying to piece together what they were talking about. "And what are you doing here Naruto-kun?" Itachi asked the young boy curiously even though he most likely knew the answer already.

At the mention of why he was here Naruto visibly deflated into the two person couch with a forlorn expression. "Th-They told me to wait in my room for something I didn't do while they took Naomi and Narumi to get ready for the party. I left and tried to get to the Forest before it got dark except the _Fox Hunters_ were out early." Naruto started to tremble with frustration and anger at how his so called family treated him. Itachi frowned already aware of the neglect that Naruto had to deal with which he and his mother tried to fill. Wrapping the boy in a hug Naruto began to slowly calm in his surrogate brother's embrace.

Mihawk waited until Naruto was calmed down by the Uchiha next to him before he tried to talk with the boy. Now while he normally would never condone such emotional outbursts he could understand why Naruto was like this but he couldn't understand how it felt. He was living in the world's kindest village, he was the son of the Hokage, he had two sisters who were minutes younger than he, and he was the jailor of the soul of the Kyuubi no Yoko. This boy should be considered a saint no a plague. If his parents wanted to lose his love he wouldn't interfere but that didn't mean he wouldn't help the boy out.

"Naruto how would you like to train under my guidance much like Itachi did once upon a time?" Mihawk asked when Naruto caught his gaze and waited patiently for the boy's response to his offer of apprenticeship. Naruto looked up with shock; no one had ever offered him such a thing before in his short life. Even his so called parents rejected training him stating that Naomi and Narumi would need it more than he would. His azure eyes quickly changed from a look of bewilderment to one of pure determination. Naruto clenched his hands and nodded at the swordsman.

Mihawk allowed a small smile to spread across his face when he saw the fire in Naruto's eyes. "Very good Naruto, I want you to go and write a letter to Minato and Kushina and tell them you are leaving. When you are finished give me the letter and I will deliver it and place it in your room." Naruto nodded in response and Itachi told him that there was paper and a pen in his room that Naruto could use to write said letter. Naruto excused himself and left the room to go and write the letter of departure. Itachi turned to look at Mihawk once Naruto left the room.

"Mihawk-sempai I also recommend that you let Lord Third and my mother know about Naruto's departure. They are among the few that will be there that actually care for Naruto." Itachi admitted rather sadly that a boy who had such a burden to carry would be shunned. While Naomi had the _Yin_ chakra and Narumi the _Yang_ Naruto carried the soul and conscious of the chakra monster. They got the power while Naruto received the hatred of the beast. Itachi only wondered when Naruto's expertly crafted mask of happiness would crack into the impassive and detached boy he knew was underneath. (**An:** To those aside from those who care for him)

"I will remember that however I need to ask you what is going on in this village at the moment. First Naruto is being hunted like he is a game animal and all of the Uchiha are very tense almost anxious if I had to describe it. I am sure you know what is happening Weasel." Mihawk instantly noticed how Itachi's posture became much more tense than it was before. Mihawk raised his hand indicating for Itachi to calm himself before speaking. Itachi's rather volatile reaction though only served to intrigue him more. It seemed the village has gotten a little rotten in his time away.

"My Father has convinced the Uchiha to plan a rebellion. He has used the isolation we put ourselves in and the animosity from the civilians to fuel their hatred. They wish to change the fact that an Uchiha has never been Hokage. Father knows he can't possibly challenge Hokage-sama in combat so he is trying to get other clans to engage in a civil war against the Hokage." Itachi could only question how his clan could fall so far to the point of trying to destroy the Leaf, his home. He personally decided he would always be Itachi Uchiha of the Hidden Leaf before anything else.

"I am the Hokage's information pipeline to the working of the coup but still Hokage-sama and Lord Third are trying to negotiate with our leaders. Unfortunately the Uchiha elders are so blinding by their blessed eyes to see they would fail. We are still coming up with a plan in case the talks fail." Itachi informed his sensei knowing he wouldn't spill the S class secret of the Uchiha Rebellion. Even if he wanted to he could never lie to the man it just seemed that his eyes could even see through his Genjutsu. Mihawk took all of this information and nodded his head in acceptance.

"If the Uchiha will not compromise then I can see only one true solution to the problem. That would be extermination of the Clan. If I know this council like I think I do they will probably try to have a scapegoat probably another Uchiha. I know you have the skills to do so. This is only a prediction of course but if it does happen I want you to come to this place after the proceedings." Mihawk pulled out a slip of paper from his jacket and slowly handed it towards the teen still maintaining a blank facial expression.

Itachi took the piece of paper wondering what it could read. Moving his eyes downward and scanned over the paper and what it read, earning a raised brow. "This is in the Land of Iron is it not?" Itachi asked not entirely sure about the location and its reach having only read up on the land a few times. It was a completely neutral country that didn't allow any shinobi in its borders without extreme priority. It was also filled with warriors called Samurai who didn't use chakra in the same way that shinobi do. They used it to insulate their swords and it is said that is where shinobi learned it from wandering Ronin.

"Yes it is. I plan to take Naruto there to train without the annoyance of hunting parties when they eventually notice his absence. The Samurai will not allow any shinobi on the land. I know their leader Mifune and I am certain that he will allow me to train Naruto there. That is why I want you to assist in the boy's training." Mihawk explained his plan for Naruto and Itachi had to admit that Mihawk was indeed very sharp. Despite how they treat Naruto once his disappearance would be noticed they would no doubt try and recover him. They couldn't even brand him a missing-nin because he was basically a civilian. Itachi looked up and nodded silently stating he would be there.

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Meanwhile while the two soon to be senseis were speaking to each other Naruto was sitting there staring at the empty paper in front of him. He had been in this position for a few minutes now just holding the pen. His thoughts were moving at a mile per second as he tried to write but just couldn't. 'Why is this so difficult!? Just tell them that you are moving on! It's not like they will find out for a few months. Just do it Naruto!' Naruto screamed at himself in his mind. That was until he recalled what happened today on his birthday of all days.

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**Flashback**

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Naruto was sitting his room thinking about the day ahead and if he would be included in the festivities. He had learned that if he stayed in his room he would usually avoid the trouble that was always dumped on him when he left his sanctuary. Naruto smiled looking forward to seeing Hiruzen, Mikoto, and Itachi since they were the only ones who would bring him gifts and his own small cake. Naruto knew he might have given up and ran as far away as possible if it was not for those three people, the only ones he could consider precious to him.

Outside of his room stood one of his sisters Narumi who was standing there wanting to knock on her brother's door but just not able to do it. She had taken to noticing that whenever the family went out they would never take Naruto. When they were training in Taijutsu she could never find her elder brother. Even at dinner it would only be her, Naomi and their parents at the table talking and being happy. She couldn't even remember the last time they had spoken to each other. That made her heart hurt thinking that she could have pushed her brother away without even knowing it. 'I hope it isn't too late.' Narumi hoped with all her heart she was about to finally knock when she heard something.

"Onee-chan!"

Narumi turned around to see her sister running up to her with a large grin on her face as she was literally bouncing on the heels of her feet. Narumi smiled at Naomi's excitement she was always the most energetic between the three of them. Or was she, Narumi didn't know Naruto's personality and that only made her heart hurt more. "Hello Naomi-chan, what's up?" Narumi asked politely with a warm smile on her lips even though she already knew what she was going to say. It was obvious she was excited about their birthday and all of the new stuff she would get from everyone.

That also made Narumi wonder if Naruto ever received any gifts on their shared birthdays because she never remembered him being with her and Naomi. Her thoughts were broken when she heard the sound of something shattering. Narumi saw the pale face of her sister as they looked down at one of their Mother's favorite vases in pieces on the floor. That was when Naruto's door opened and out stepped the black haired boy and looked at the two of his sisters but before he could question the two on what happened they heard stomping on the stairs in front of Naruto's room.

Kushina had heard the sound of something break and quickly went up to where she heard the noise. Reaching the top step she immediately looked on the floor where she saw one her favorite vases sitting there completely broken. Her eyes then trained themselves on the first person in her view Naruto. "What did you do!?" Kushina screamed at her son her eyes alive with anger as she glared heatedly at Naruto.

Naruto simply stared at the woman who was supposed to be his mother with shock at what she just said. She was blaming him who was clearly just in his doorway when Naomi was right next to the table where the vase once sat. "What?" Was the only thing Naruto could think to say still completely surprised by the entire situation in front of him.

Naomi and Narumi each stood there silently surprised for their own reasons that were quite similar. Naomi was shocked because she thought for sure she would have been caught and held guilty for the accident but instead Naruto was getting in trouble. Narumi was shocked because how their mother could so readily blame Naruto without even asking what happened. Both girls had one thing in common neither of them had said anything in their brother's defense leaving him to take the blame.

"I don't want to hear your excuses Naruto! You know what just go to your room! I don't want to see your face!" Kushina screamed harshly at Naruto and without even giving him a chance to defend himself she turned to her daughters with a motherly smile. "Come on girls let's go get you two ready for your party." Kushina stated before taking off down the steps with excitement evident because of the thought of shopping. This also left the three siblings standing there in an awkward silence. Naomi gave Naruto a small smile while Narumi gave him an apologetic look for not standing up for him. Naruto got them both in his field of vision and gave them both a blood chilling glare that made the both of them flinch.

Naruto walked back into the darkness of his bedroom and slammed the door that rattled the pictures hanging from the wall. Narumi stood there staring at the closed door and was about to go and talk to her brother but then her hand was caught in a firm grasp. It was Naomi who started pulling her down the steps with a huge grin. "Come on Onee-chan it is time to get ready for the party!" Naomi exclaimed in joy as she dragged her sister along with her. Narumi's view of Naruto's door was fading and she frowned as she got a terrible premonition about her brother.

"Naruto-kun…"

Naruto was laying face down in his bed screaming angrily into his pillow after his confrontation with his mother. It always was like this when it came down to his sisters and himself, he being punished and them rewarded. He questioned if this was what family was it couldn't be what a real family was. It took Naruto about thirty minutes before he stopped trembling with anger and frustration. Naruto wouldn't allow himself to shed a tear because of his so called family's treatment. Looking at the window Naruto walked over to it and opened it after sparing one last glance at his room Naruto left through the window and took off into the village.

* * *

**Flashback End**

* * *

With that memory fresh in his mind any inhibitions he had about writing the letter were quickly squashed as the tip of the pen scribbled furiously along the paper. As the words continued to grow Naruto felt a sense of relief sweeping over his body. He stabbed the pen down one final time before sealing it in an envelope Naruto let a satisfied smirk cross his impassive face now that it was done. He glared at the envelope and in that heated glare his azure eyes flashed red for a moment and in that moment Naruto's red eyes gained one black tomoe in each eye. Standing up Naruto walked back towards the living space where Itachi and Mihawk were engaged in a much calmer conversation walking straight up to Mihawk Naruto dropped the envelope in his hand.

Mihawk nodded and Naruto moved to sit back down near Itachi who started to talk with the young boy. Walking out Mihawk made his way towards where he knew the Namikaze family compound to be.

* * *

Mihawk walked down the path inside of the courtyard to the main home of the family of Namikazes. Many flowers were shining brightly in the moon light showing just how well they were taken care of, unlike the son. As he got closer he could hear the sounds of people laughing and celebrating the _Two Princess Guardians of Konoha_. Or that was what they were shouting at the top of their lungs. Stepping into the open front door he was greeted by numerous shinobi and civilians all scattered around the decorated foyer. Mihawk was sure that most of these people were here for the sole reason that their efforts would be noticed by the Hokage. Politics always had disgusted the man of honor. Looking around he ignored the gaggle of children that ran past him in favor for glancing at the people dressed in ceremonial kimonos drinking sake and joking with each other.

He was not able to locate Mikoto nor was he able to spot Hiruzen which made him frown slightly. Hearing his friend's laughter from the crowd Mihawk turned to his left where he saw a smaller more intimate group of people. Minato and Kushina were sitting behind Naomi and Narumi who each were wearing smiles, though the discerning eye of the swordsman could tell that Narumi's was a little more forced then genuine. It seemed that they were the light of this party that people were trying to revolve to but were currently being forced away, probably because they were currently opening gifts.

Naomi was almost a replica of her mother in terms of both appearance and behavior to the point where it was eerie. Naomi's hair was vibrant shade of red and was straight as a line; the red hair fell just past her shoulders. Her violet eyes were currently shimmering with happiness just like any seven year olds would be in her position. She was dressed in an elegant red kimono that made her look like the child from a family of nobles. There were smaller golden accents to emphasize the brilliant shade of red that she had on for the party.

Narumi was also looking every ounce as elegant as her sister did in what she was wearing for the party. The kimono that Narumi was sporting was a very light shade of blue that looked very much like the sky on a clear day. Narumi had similar accents to those of her sister the only difference being they were silver. Narumi had long, straight hair just like her mother and sister only hers was blonde and slightly longer than Naomi's. Her eyes were blue not the same blue as Naruto's, no they were like the sky as well. Her eyes were hiding something that made Mihawk wonder but brushed it off.

The first person that he had seen give them gifts was Kakashi, Minato's last living student, he was wearing the traditional shinobi garb even at the party. He walked up with an eye smile as he handed each girl two medium sized boxes that were wrapped. Eventually the two girls got them opened to reveal a couple sets of kunai and shiruken. He told them that they would eventually learn shiruken jutsu and how they would obviously need shiruken to do so. Both girls gave him a thank you and moved their gifts to the side to make more room for the others they were to get.

Two people stepped up to happy family next and they were none other than the two loyal Sannin Jiraiya and Tsunade. Each of them were carrying a scroll in their arms that they handed to each of the children. Mihawk watched as the two children signed both the Slug and Toad contracts. He listened as Jiraiya explained that the elders of each clan discussed it and agreed to let the children sign both contracts. Naomi had no qualms with signing both contracts without question while Narumi was slightly more reserved about the whole thing. Mihawk turned away and went to walk up the steps to what was Naruto's door. Opening the door Mihawk's face remained stoic however on the inside he was surprised at what he saw. Naruto's room was quite literally the definition of Spartan.

The room was not decorated anywhere not even painted it was simply the wooden panels that made up the walls of the room. Taking a step into the room the floorboards creaked under his weight the sound of which echoed showing just how scarcely furnished the room was. There was a bed, a small one but it was there. It was a simple mattress that had a pillow across the top of it but there were no sheets or blankets to accompany it. Moving over to a small desk near the window Mihawk placed the letter down next to a dwindling candle which he assumed Naruto used for a light source. With one fleeting glance Mihawk left the room and closed the door and was greeted by two people.

The first was the last Hokage of the Hidden Leaf and the God of Shinobi; Hiruzen Sarutobi dressed in formal clothing as was reasonable. The second person was Mikoto Uchiha the matriarch of the Uchiha family and one of the few people in the village who treated Naruto like a human being it seemed. This was very convenient for the hawk eyed man since he wouldn't need to search for them in the mobs of people. Hiruzen gave Mihawk a warm smile that was almost grandfatherly in nature. "Oh if it isn't Mihawk-kun, I haven't seen you in ages my boy how are you?"

Mihawk gave the old Sarutobi a slight inching of the head acknowledging that it had indeed been a while since he had seen the man. The last time the two had met Mihawk was asked to assist in a rather high priority mission during the war. A few people had been suspicious since he was a wandering shinobi but when Minato gave him a vote of confidence that suspicion was eliminated for the most part. "It has Hiruzen-sama. I have been quite well thank you for asking." Mihawk replied in a respectful tone and before Hiruzen could respond Mikoto stepped forth with a glare trained on Mihawk.

"May I ask what it was you were doing inside of Naruto-kun's room Mihawk?" Mikoto asked her voice dripping with venom for as far as she knew he would treat Naruto the same as the villager's did. It was bad enough that his family would either ignore or scold him he didn't need someone seeking him out in his own room. Mihawk knew he needed to calm Mikoto down before her killer intent alerted everyone at the party to their location, if that was to happen then his and Naruto's exit from the village that much more difficult. It is much easier to leave with someone no one is looking for.

"Please calm yourself Mikoto-san Naruto is perfectly okay at this moment." Mihawk replied in hopes of calming the increasingly agitated woman. Mihawk with held the sigh of relief when he saw Mikoto was calming herself down but was still tensed and waiting for an explanation. "Naruto is with Itachi right now at your home Mikoto-san. If you two would follow me back I will gladly explain why."

Hiruzen and Mikoto glanced at each other for a moment before they turned and gave Mihawk two curt nods of their heads. Mihawk nodded as well and the three shinobi walked down the stairs and made their way out into the night. Just before Mihawk made it out of the doorway he felt a small tug on the hem of his coat. Slowly turning around the swordsman saw that it was Narumi who had tugged on his coat. Narumi shrunk under the intense gaze of the man's hawk like eyes but gulped down the lump in her throat. Taking a deep breath she looked up at the much taller man.

"C-Can you give this to Naruto please?" Narumi's voice was shaky and so were her hands as she opened them to show a small black box resting in her palms. She couldn't even bring herself to call Naruto her brother because never once had she or anyone else treated him like their family. She didn't even know if he would accept her gift after all he had no reason to care about this family. Mihawk stared at the girl before he looked at the box it was clear that she wanted to make amends with Naruto but he wouldn't pressure Naruto into accepting or denying this olive branch. It would be Naruto's choice to make and his alone.

Mihawk nodded and took the box and put it in his coat before walking out of the lively house leaving Narumi standing there looking out into the darkness.

* * *

Mikoto sat on Naruto's left with Itachi flanking Naruto on his right while Mihawk finished recalling how he met Naruto earlier as well as explaining his plan to Naruto, Mikoto and Hiruzen. Mikoto and Hiruzen kept their killer intent in check so that they didn't frighten Naruto with it but were furious with what they heard. Mikoto suddenly felt like using her extensive skills to trap a number of foolish civilians in a Genjutsu. Hiruzen was equally as furious but that was also directed at his successor and his two students. Naruto was just glad that someone would finally begin to train him to defend himself.

"That sounds like quite the plan Mihawk but what will you do on the off chance they find you before you make it to Tetsu no Kuni?" Mikoto asked worried about the boy that was her son in all but blood. Mihawk spared a glance for Naruto who did not seem to be worried in the slightest before looking back at the worried Uchiha and equally worried Itachi and Hiruzen. He was glad that Naruto had some sort of love inside this rapidly rotting village that was once the golden standard for shinobi. Mihawk leaned forward and focused back in on Mikoto who asked the question originally.

"Both Naruto and I believe that no one will find the note for at least a month or two since we left it inside of his room which no one beside he enters. This will give us more than enough time to enter the Land of Iron" Everyone nodded since that was more than likely true. "However on the off chance the note is discovered before then we will only have to avoid Leaf tracking teams which won't be too difficult since I know how they operate. Minato won't risk letting the information that his own son is missing because not only will it hurt his reputation outside of Konoha but Iwa and Kumo will surely try and hunt Naruto down as well and that is something he can't risk. We will be leaving soon so I believe you two have gifts for Naruto here?"

Hiruzen came forward first and pulled out a scroll from his loose hanging robes and handed it to the young boy. Seeing the confusion on Naruto's face he decided he would clarify what its contents were. "That Naruto-kun is a scroll that has not only the Kage Bunshin jutsu as well as a number of jutsu for each element. Mihawk-kun will teach you your element and the benefits of the Kage Bunshin. I know you'll do me proud." Hiruzen smiled when he saw the happiness flood across Naruto's features. Naruto reached forward and hugged the elder shinobi with all he could muttering thank you into his robes over and over.

After the warm moment between the boy and his surrogate grandfather Mikoto pulled out a scroll of her own and handed it to Naruto with a motherly smile on her face. "Naru-kun this scroll has a number of charka control techniques and my personal notes for the Substitution jutsu. While it is not as flashy as the other Ninjutsu out there basics can be just as effective." Mikoto lectured Naruto softly as she knew what she was talking about since she was often called the _Goddess of Substitution_. She smiled when Naruto nodded his head enthusiastically then she pulled out another scroll which confused Naruto.

"This scroll is from Shisui-kun, it has all of his notes on the Shunshin jutsu. He told me to tell you he is sorry that he had to miss your birthday and expects his otouto to be just as good as he is with the Shunshin." Naruto smiled a megawatt smile and mentally thanked Shisui before locking Mikoto in a warm embrace one she was all too happy to return. They held the embrace like that for a few moments Naruto enjoying the warmth Mikoto had around her person while Mikoto played with his black hair with a motherly affection.

The small group of people also celebrated Naruto's birthday with a small cake which made Naruto tear up just a bit. Everyone had a good time as they talked and laughed even the stoic Itachi and Mihawk cracked a few smiles during the proceedings. All in all it was the happiest Naruto had been in years and he knew that he wanted to preserve this. As long as he had his precious people then all the hate and ignorance around him no longer mattered. It was close to midnight as Mihawk and Naruto walked towards the village gate wearing white cloaks with a black stripe down the arms disguising them. Mihawk suddenly pulled out a small black box and handed it to Naruto. Naruto was confused since he knew it wasn't from the man himself so he did all he could and opened it.

Inside of the box was a small chain with a little ornament hanging from the metallic chain that glimmered in the moon light. The ornament was made of two kunais that crossed over each other at their tips. The one kunai on the left was a pure white while the kunai on the right was a jet black. Under the kunai was a red Uzumaki swirl that was connected to the loops on the kunai handles. The initials U.N. were engraved into the Uzumaki swirl in black and white to match the kunais above. Naruto lifted the chain up and watched the ornament swirl in the air as he unfolded the note underneath it and read it silently.

_Naruto-kun,_

_I know we haven't talked much or ever but I really want you to have this. We haven't treated you like family and I want to make that right. I know you have no reason to accept this but please keep it, it would mean a lot._

_Narumi Uzumaki-Namikaze._

Naruto looked at the note then to the ornament twirling in the air from the chain as he held it between his fingers. It was that moment that the two passed a garbage bin just outside the gate. Naruto paused as he looked between the gift and the garbage bin. Mihawk paused as well knowing this was something Naruto needed to do. Naruto's eyes morphed into the Sharingan unknown to both he and Mihawk as he looked at the gift and the garbage one last time…

He had made his choice.

* * *

**AN: Hello everyone Matt here and contrary to popular belief I have not died but rather am very much alive. I just didn't have the desire to write for the past few weeks. I know what you are thinking 'another new story?' And the answer is yes! This will be my last new story in a while since I was asked to do a story where Naruto is in his own generation. Naruto shall be cold to those who he (and I) think deserve it. I know you think I am bashing Kushina and Minato but for the story to work I need to do it for this chapter at least. There will be no more intentional bashing from this point out except for the council and Sasuke.**

**Any who leave a review maybe a follow and a favorite and if you haven't read my other stories you totally should. Ja Ne- Matt **


	2. Duel in the Twilight

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto and I curse the people who would jump down my throat if I had not admit this.**

**Author Note: **I have been asked on how Naruto is an Uchiha and don't worry folks I already have a plan for that little story but that won't be revealed until after Naruto activates the Mangekyō Sharingan.

* * *

Naruto Uchiha: The Prophet with the Cursed Eyes

* * *

In the center of the Village Hidden in the Leaves stood the Hokage's tower proudly in front of a mountain with the faces of four legendary shinobi were carved. The first face was the face of the Shodai Hokage, Hashirama Senju who with the work of the clans in the area banded together during the time of the Warring Clans to create the Village of Hidden Leaves. Key amongst these clans was the Uchiha clan and their most powerful member Madara Uchiha. These two powerful shinobi were opposites in almost every facet of the word but it was those differences that created an eternal rivalry that spread into the two clans. All of that tension came to a head in one final clash between Madara and Hashirama in a place now known as the Valley of the End which cost the legendary Uchiha his life.

Sometime after that battle which rocked the shinobi world down to its core Hashirama chose his successor for the position of Hokage. Hashirama chose his brother Tobirama Senju to be his successor for the mantle of Hokage. Tobirama too had grown up with Hashirama and Madara in the Warring Clan's period and due to numerous conflicts and his own personality never was able to trust an Uchiha. It was this lack of trust that created many domestic problems between the Hidden Leaf and the Uchiha. In an effort to appease the Uchiha Tobirama had founded a police force in Konoha and left it to the Uchiha in a way to keep their power in check. Tobirama met his end during the First Shinobi World War where he sacrificed himself fighting Kumo's Kinkaku Force.

On that team that Tobirama sacrificed himself to protect and entrust the future to was a young Hiruzen Sarutobi. Hiruzen was Tobirama's prized pupil and a ninja of extraordinary caliber it was for these very reasons that Tobirama named Hiruzen the Third Hokage just before his death. Under Hiruzen's watchful eye the Hidden Leaf was guided through two more world wars and its Hokage grew in fame with the village itself. As Hiruzen's skills continued to advance he had become known as the "God of Shinobi" a title that had not been used since Hashirama Senju's time. Hiruzen teaching abilities were world class. Hiruzen taught three powerful shinobi how to be shinobi and these three were Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Orochimaru who later became known as the Sannin for their exceptional skills.

Taking the losses of the Third Shinobi World War on to his shoulders Hiruzen decided to atone for that mistake by stepping down much to the village advisors' disagreement. Hiruzen named Minato Namikaze, a pupil of his student Jiraiya as the Fourth Hokage due to his strong Will of Fire, a belief Hiruzen held in high regard. Minato had made his name in the war by eliminating scores of Iwagakure shinobi with just the Hiraishin and Rasengan. The effects of the Hiraishin earned the man the moniker of the _Kiiroi Senko_ which was all the enemy saw before their life was no more. It was not only his power that earned him the title of Hokage but also his infectious personality that drew people to his powerful presence.

It was this man who was sitting in the seat of the Hokage behind a desk in his office with his eyes shut in a contemplative silence. Minato appeared to be a tall, fair-skinned man who did have bright, blue eyes and spiky, sunshine blond hair. Minato had jaw-length bangs framing either side of his face. His daily attire consisted of a standard Konoha nin uniform with two, thin bands each on both of his sleeves, a leaf green flak jacket, blue forehead protector, and blue sandals on his feet. He had also taken to wearing a long, white haori over his Leaf uniform that had an orange flame pattern around the base of it.

Minato was lost in thought ignoring the ever growing mountain of paperwork that was gathering upon his desk. It was the day that almost destroyed his entire family in a matter of moments. He learned in that day just what it meant to feel pain for something that was out of his control. All he could do was send out the Village's best tracker units to search for him he couldn't even ask other Nations for help because of the implications it would have not only on Konoha but Naruto. What was odd was that the sky didn't show any signs of darkness in fact it was a bright and sunny day almost as if it was glad to illuminate what they saw. "That was five years ago.."

* * *

**Flashback**

* * *

Minato and Kushina were left speechless at what they were just told because if it was true then it just turned their whole world on its axis. Minato was left to stare at his sensei, Jiraiya with a mix of disbelief and worry but just couldn't find his voice. Kushina on the other hand was livid her hair was swaying like the Kyuubi's nine tails. The reason was that her hair was resonating with the tremendous amount of anger welling up inside of her body. "Can you repeat that Jiraiya? I am not exactly sure I heard you correctly the first time!"

Jiraiya took a deep breath and with a serious face repeated himself not quite believing what he was about to say either. "I said that the prophecy has changed. It now says he with the vision shall recreate the world as he sees fit with either piece or chaos." It was only a few days ago that he was summoned to Mount Myobokuzan by the two toad elders. When he questioned them on why he was so suddenly taken away from his research he was whacked over the head by both Fukasaku and Shima. After that they had taken him to the Grand Elder where he told them about the new prophecy.

"Sensei you must be kidding! We did all we did because you assured us that either Naomi-chan or Narumi-chan was the Child of Prophecy! Now you are telling us it might be Naruto!" Minato was slightly worried because he was aware of how little they interacted with their son but they needed to make sure that Narumi or Naomi were prepared for what would be pushed on their young shoulders. Minato was also glad since this would give him time to spend with his eldest child, his son and help him grow into a great shinobi but also a great man like the Naruto in Jiraiya's first novel.

"I am not joking with you Minato. I believe that they are speaking of Naruto in the prophecy so with that in mind is Naruto here at the moment?" Jiraiya asked the two parents because if he was then they could start the training now. Now that Jiraiya thought about it he didn't recall spending anytime with his godson and that actually bothered him. There was no way he was too indulged in the prophecy that he would ignore Naruto was there? If only he knew how wrong he was earlier in time instead of now a month after the three Namikazes' birthday but it was far too late.

Kushina was about to respond but that was cut off when the door to the room they were in slammed open and an excited Naomi ran in followed by a more calm Narumi. "Tou-chan, Kaa-chan can we start training today pretty please!?" Naomi all but begged her mother and father ignoring the Toad Sage causing him to mumble about disrespectful brats. Kushina looked to Minato silently asking for an answer to the question posed to them. Minato nodded since this would be a good way to train all of their children and he really wanted to see what Naruto was capable of.

"Yes we will all be training together today since you will be starting the academy soon! We can't have those other clan's children get too far ahead right? Will you be helping Jiriaya?" Kushina asked ignoring Naomi's excited shout of 'yes' in favor of staring down the Toad Sage telling him he better say yes or else. While Jiraiya struggled to manage a coherent response Narumi raised an eyebrow at the fact that Kushina used the word all. Did that mean they were going to include her brother? She really hoped so because the last time she heard her brother's name was when that man with the sword was talking at their birthday.

"Does that mean that Naruto-kun is going to train with us this time?" Narumi tried to hide the hopeful tone in her voice but she really wanted to spend time with her elder brother. She let a large smile cross her face when she saw both Kushina and Minato nod their heads yes. Naomi was ecstatic that she would get to train with her Nii-san. For some reason when she didn't see Naruto at the part she wanted to train with him or at least talk to him. Anything she was about to say was cut off when there was a poof of smoke in Jiraiya's arms revealing the Toad Contract.

"Well let's go see Naruto so we can get down to business and start shaping you three into feared shinobi!" Jiraiya exclaimed in a childish tone that got three giggles from the girls and a shake of the head from Minato who had a fond smile on his face. The group of five each made their way to Naruto's door with their own thoughts each revolving around Naruto and each being hopeful about the encounter upcoming. Making it there Minato was about to open the door when his hand froze the moment he came to a realization. 'I don't ever remember coming in here before… that can't be a good thing.' Pushing back his apprehension Minato opened the door and the five people entered the room.

The group simply stared at the room in a mixture of shock and disbelief even though the room had very little to stare at. Minato and Kushina looked around at the bare room that was just barely adequate for a human being to live in. Jiraiya noticed the thick dust that seemed to settle in every corner of the room telling him no one had been here in quite a while. Narumi and Naomi where comparing this room to theirs and suddenly felt very guilty about how their brother hand to live. That was when everyone had the same exact thought although unwillingly. 'Naruto is not here!'

Minato was the first to break from the trance everyone found themselves in at the sight of his son's room. His eyes spotted an envelope sitting on top of the dusty desk being curious of what it could be he sat down in the chair and opened the letter hoping for answers. His eyes slowly grew wider the more he read Naruto's letter. That is when he realized just how bad of a father he had been. "No…" Minato whispered as he read the last few paragraphs though it was easily heard through the dead silent room. Minato's voice drew everyone over to him and they each began to read the letter over his shoulder.

Kushina brought a hand up to her mouth to try and cover the horrified gasp that threatened to escape from her mouth. Tears welled up in her eyes as she continued to read on wishing she could stop and as she went on she questioned how she could call herself a mother. Jiraiya was so shocked that he dropped the Toad Contract as he read the letter three times over just to make sure his eyes weren't playing tricks on him. Naomi and Narumi were openly crying and silently speaking their brother's name. That was when the note started to break at the corners as Minato unknowingly started channeling his wind chakra in anger.

Naruto's not told of all the beatings he would receive from the villagers on his birthday and how they would call him the demon child or Kyuubi. Naruto told them how he would often end up at the hospital for weeks on end as he recovered only to be visited by Hiruzen or Mikoto while they didn't show up once. He even told them how some of the beatings went where they ranged from having his nails pulled out to stabbings and bashings. (**AN: **Naruto survived because the conscious had a small amount of chakra and would heal him while unconscious.)

Naruto then told of how the ANBU who would watch him as they did all of the Hokage's kids would only stop the _Fox Hunters _when they were moments from killing him which left him on the Shinigami's door step. He told them how the only ANBU who would prevent the beatings were Weasel and Neko. The only reason the room wasn't flooded with enough Killer Intent for the whole village to feel was because of the children's presence. Then came the last paragraph of the letter, which broke the hearts of each of the family members. It told them that Naruto had left of his own accord to find somewhere safe for him to live and he was not sure if he would ever come back to the place he called a "Hell Hole"

"How could this happen? How can I call myself a mother?" Kushina asked openly sobbing as she thought about what Naruto had gone through. Minato quickly stood up and wrapped his wife in a hug as she sobbed in his chest. Minato too question how he could call himself a father when a father was supposed to protect his child, something he didn't do. Narumi and Naomi were embracing each other crying their eyes out as Jiraiya tried and failed to calm them down. It was official this was the worst day of the Namikaze-Uzumakis' lives yet the sun continued to shine.

Shining for Naruto's liberation…

* * *

**Flashback End**

* * *

Minato was broken from his thoughts when he heard a knock on the door to the Hokage's office. "Come in." Minato ordered watching the door open and his wife, daughters, student, and Sasuke and Sakura enter the room. Kushina gave her husband a bright smile one mimicked by Naomi and Narumi though to a lesser degree. Kakashi gave his sensei a his usual eye smile while reaching for his Icha Icha book which was penned by Minato's sensei Jiraiya. "Mission report?" Minato asked even though it was a command and he already knew the results of the mission since it was nothing more than menial labor.

"Hn I don't see how cleaning a training ground is a mission." Sasuke said aloud crossing his arms and closing his eyes though Minato ignored the arrogant Uchiha in favor of looking at Kushina and Kakashi. Actually it seems that the only one who responded to Sasuke was Sakura who said 'so cool' practically drooling over the Uchiha. Kushina and Kakashi both nodded telling their Hokage that the mission was successful and there were no complications. Minato was about to reach for the D Mission folder and Naomi caught this. She couldn't handle taking another D rank mission that and Sasuke's infinite arrogance was literally driving her insane.

"Tou-san can you please give us a C rank mission. I just can't take these chores anymore!" Minato saw that each of the Genin gave small nods agreeing with his daughter's words well aside from Sakura who looked unsure about the idea. Minato saw Kushina and Kakashi nod their heads believing they were ready for the slight upgrade to their work load. Letting out a sigh Minato grabbed the C Mission folder and skimmed through it before pulling out a request and handing it to Kushina who stepped up to accept the details.

"Your mission is to escort a bridge builder from the Land of Waves back home and protect him as he builds the bridge connecting the island to the mainland. You will meet your client in two hours in front of the main gates. Dismissed!" Naomi whooped in joy and quickly took Narumi by the hand and led them off with Kushina following laughing at her daughters. Kakashi quickly left in a Shunshin the minute the word dismissed was said leaving Sasuke to walk with his fan girl hot on his heels. Minato let out a sigh and wondered if he had any normal shinobi in his service as if on cue he heard shouts of youth from behind the doors.

* * *

A figure wrapped in a gray cloak was walking calmly through a path leading to the village Hidden in the Leaves. The figure wondered why there would be a path that would lead into a village that was supposed to be hidden. Just as quick as the question came so did an answer and that answer was arrogance. Over the years Konoha has become incredibly powerful with the Yellow Flash, God of Shinobi, two of the Sannin and shinobi such as Kakashi and Gai they became the most powerful village. Titles like such often led to over-blown egos and Konoha was no exception. 'Why am I coming back to this place?'

Then images of a few people flooded the figure's mind along with iconic places such as the Hokage Monument and Tower along with the business district came to thought. 'Right I wish for the village to stand despite its unsavory characters. Hmm I sound like Madara did before he fled from the village. I guess he and I are more alike than I thought.' Naruto thought with an amused smirk as his eyes flashed red under the hood he had covering his face from peering eyes. Naruto may have had no love for its people but Konoha was still his home and he would not let the likes of Kumo or Iwa try and destroy it.

'Itachi-sensei must be getting into my mind more than I like…but is that a bad thing?' Naruto asked himself since leaving all those years ago Naruto learned many things from Mihawk and Itachi his favorite was that stoic appearance. It was like second nature now to Naruto and he quite liked it that way now people couldn't read him well aside from his senseis. Seeing the large gates of Konoha passing by him as he walked Naruto let his three tomoe Sharingan fade leaving cold blue eyes hidden by the shadow of his hood. Naruto decided he would keep his Uchiha blood secret until he determined that it was the right time to reveal it.

Naruto caught sight of something that made Naruto wonder if Kami herself just loved to see how much she could make him miserable. Coming his way was Team Seven with Naomi and Narumi talking with each other clearly excited about something. Naruto then recognized Itachi's younger brother being followed by a fan girl while brooding. Bringing up the rear was Kakashi and his so called mother. Naruto didn't even flinch as he walked by Sasuke who he was a few inches taller than thanks to a growth spurt due to Mihawk's dieting. Or at least he tried to walk by him because at the last moment the Uchiha bumped into Naruto's shoulder.

"Watch where you are going you loser!" Sasuke exclaimed as he turned around to glare at the unknown figure's back. Sasuke's angry shout stopped the rest of Team Seven who were now looking between the man in grey and Sasuke wondering what they should do. Naruto just kept on walking he had more important things to do than play with a spoiled child. "Hey didn't you hear me!?" Sasuke demanded obviously not ready to let the issue drop Kakashi was about to intervene to stop his new student from doing anything stupid. Sasuke acted first though caught up to Naruto's retreating form.

Sasuke planned on teaching whoever it was under that cloak that they do not disrespect an Uchiha with that he gripped Naruto's shoulder stopping his movement. "Looks like you need to be taught a lesson, idiot." Sasuke said rather arrogantly while smirking at the back of Naruto's head. Years of abuse made Naruto really dislike any form of contact that Naruto did not allow and Sasuke was about to learn that the hard way. In an instant Naruto had gripped Sasuke's wrist and flipped him over his shoulder driving him into the ground. Without so much as a glance back Naruto continued to walk away leaving Sasuke to seethe on the dirt road.

Managing to scramble to his feet Sasuke glared at Naruto with black eyes filled with hatred for the person he had just met. 'That's it no one disrespects an Uchiha like that! We are the strongest clan in history!' "I'll kill you!" Sasuke bellowed out in anger and rushed at Naruto's back with his fist cocked back. Naruto who heard the shout didn't react until Sasuke was a few paces away. That was when Naruto spun around and nailed Sasuke in the chest with a powerful kick that sent him back to his team. Sasuke was saved by Kakashi who caught him sparing him any more pain from a hard landing he was sure to take.

Team Seven was checking to see if Sasuke was alright Naruto continued to walk away from them continuing on as if the encounter never happened. 'That was Itachi-Sensei's brother? I am not very impressed but I guess he did get him to accept hatred. You were lucky Uchiha normally I would have killed you for that but that would make me getting into the Village next to impossible since he is one of the two remaining Uchiha.' Deciding to save time and get the meeting with quicker Naruto vanished in a murder of crows leaving only a black feather.

Team Seven turned to look at where the figure in grey was standing only to see that he was no longer there and all that was left was a black feather. Kushina and Kakashi were staring at the oddly familiar feather with interest. Naomi and Narumi were wondering just who that was because from height he seemed to be around there age. Tazuna was laughing at the brooding Uchiha for getting his ass kicked while wondering if he could hire the figure in grey. Sasuke thought he had scared him off something Sakura verbalized getting silent groans from everyone else. With the encounter with Naruto behind them they left for Nami no Kuni with one thought.

'Who was that?'

* * *

Minato was discussing with his predecessor Hiruzen Sarutobi about recent events that happened in Kirigakure. Apparently a woman named Mei Terumi had united the blood-line users into a Rebel Army to fight Yagura the Yondaime Mizukage who was exterminating the blood-line users. They had come to Konoha to ask for assistance three years ago and after a long council meeting Minato had to inform Mei that the Leaf could not assist. It was the most recent news was what was unsettling to the Kage and former Kage. It appears that Mei was able to find most of Kiri's Seven Ninja Swordsmen and that was the last report they had received.

Both Hiruzen and Minato knew that if the Rebel's had won the war then the Leaf had a potentially new enemy which was something they did not need seeing as Iwa was still less than neutral to their presence. Having another potential relationship like Konoha did with Iwa, with Kiri was something that Konoha couldn't afford. Even with Suna's aid if Konoha was to go to war they would have to face Iwa then Kiri would no doubt assist not to mention what the prideful Raikage would do. Even as strong as Konoha is it could not with stand a multi-front war with two villages with a chance of a third.

Any more discussion was interrupted by a murder of crows flocking together in the center of the Hokage's office. Hiruzen and Minato's eyes widened because they knew only one person who used crows and that was Konoha's second most wanted criminal Itachi Uchiha. "Konoha must have become very lax if I am able to enter the Hokage's office just like that." A calm voice came from under the grey cloak that stepped from the crows. Hiruzen and Minato were confused now since this was clearly not Itachi but this also made them weary since they didn't notice the man until the crows suddenly burst into the room.

"Neko while I appreciate what you have done for me earlier in life it would be better for your health if you remove the sword from my neck." Naruto said calmly but the threat was not missed by the shinobi in the room. His words were so calm it actually made the ANBU behind him who was indeed Neko flinch slightly. Naruto was about to react when the blade was not moved but that was stopped when he saw his father suddenly get to his feet. Naruto could clearly see that he was not happy with what was happening right in front of your eyes.

"What is the meaning of this!? Who sent you here?" Minato demanded his voice full of the authority that made him feared as a powerful shinobi. He was not happy that someone could so easily stroll into his village through the detection barrier nonetheless show up right in front of his eyes. Naruto didn't even flinch at the tone of the powerful shinobi in front of him since he knew all he needed to do was flick the hood of his cloak down. Naruto's face showed nothing but cold indifference as he stared down what could be called the most powerful man in the world.

"I guess you wouldn't recognize my voice. It has been five years since I have been here and much longer since we had any kind of conversation." Naruto mused as he reached up and pulled his hood off of his head. Minato fell back into his seat when he saw Naruto's face it was more narrowed out than he remembered from when he was younger. His black hair had grown longer and had almost dropped over his right eye. His eyes that were once warm when looking at him now felt like small icebergs. It hurt his heart knowing that it was his negligence that caused his son to be like that.

"N-Naruto what are you doing here?" Minato asked in shock at seeing the sight of his son who he had not seen in five years. Minato always thought that if Naruto came back it would be because he was forced not because he came here willingly. Naruto could see that Hiruzen was equally surprised considering his pipe was resting on the floor in front of his feet. Naruto couldn't see Neko's face but there was a very small trembling in the blade that only he could see. As much as he enjoyed watching Minato going through emotional turmoil he was growing tired of being in the man's presence.

"I came back to Konoha to become a shinobi." Naruto stated simply as he moved the blade of Yugao from the nape of his neck an action the purple haired ANBU didn't fight. Naruto kept an impassive gaze as he watched Minato's face become hopeful. Naruto decided he would crush that hope right now before it grew any larger. "I chose Konoha because it was the most logical option seeing as Kumo would try to experiment on my body to see if I had a kekkei genkai because of your actions. Iwa would certainly kill me the moment they found of our relation even if it is only because of blood. I do not know enough about Kiri to make an informed decision because of their foolish war. Suna would just hand me back to you because of the alliance and their own lack of power to hold me. Do not think that I came here because of any other reason than that it was the most logical." Naruto finished his reasoning coolly making Minato's face drop in sadness.

Hiruzen seeing that the younger Kage was in no shape to response decided to intervene on his behalf. "While I am glad you are back I would like to know where you think you should be classified as?" Hiruzen asked trying to fish information on the enigma known as Naruto Uzumaki-Namikaze. Naruto was smiling inwardly at the man who was like a grandfather to him but he still would not let anything out unless he deemed it necessary. Turning his head Naruto kept an impassive look on his face but Hiruzen could see the smallest spark of warmth in there that widened the smile already on his face.

"I believe I should be ranked as a Genin like all those my age." Naruto stated simply as he looked at Hiruzen then to Minato who had regained himself. He could see the confusion on their faces no doubt expecting him to try and boast. Naruto called them foolish silently for such thinking. Information could lead to any shinobi's death and he was by no means an exception. "I have not been trained in this village so promoting me to anything else would create animosity between myself and the other shinobi. Or they will see it as Minato giving me a promotion and not myself earning it." Naruto clarified his reasoning managing to do it without admitting he was related to the Namikaze.

Minato was saddened that Naruto refused to call him father but if half of what that letter said was true he had no right to ask Naruto to do so. Getting Naruto to be a shinobi wouldn't be too hard considering he was his son and hopefully this could be the start to trying to build a relationship. "That can be managed Naruto but I need to ask you to take part in a spar so I can see your capabilities. This is my one requirement." Minato stated firmly as he watched Naruto's hand reach behind his back where took note of the handle that was covered by a guard and hand a small charm hanging from it.

"That is acceptable." Naruto said simply standing there with his arms crossed over his chest and an impassive gaze. Naruto had already assumed he would need to do something along those lines to gain entrance into the village. Knowing that his opponent would most likely be a Jounin he revealed his crows and he would show his Kenjutsu prowess. "Before that do you know of any apartments available at the moment?" Naruto inquired not once breaking from that calm, almost condescending tone of voice. Minato was about to protest the decision and state that his son should live in the Namikaze compound. Naruto cut off the predictable response with a raised hand. "Since I am to be a shinobi I also am considered an adult and you have no right to decide where I live. My question remains."

Minato silently cursed those long standing rules since he knew Naruto was right about that and there was nothing he could do. "I believe there is an empty floor in a complex in the Red Light District…" Minato said evenly trying to see how Naruto would react to living in such a shady place. Minato sighed when Naruto didn't even raise an eyebrow to the information presented to him. "…I believe Neko here can escort you to the building since Hiruzen-san and I have business we need to discuss privately, Naruto report to Training Ground 7 in five hours for your test." Naruto didn't even nod his head he turned to Yugao and looked at her expectantly for a few moments before she realized he was ready to go with that the two shinobi left the room.

Yugao and Naruto had been walking in what was an awkward silence for Yugao since she had quite a few questions for Naruto. It had been years since she had seen him as a young boy and know here he was completely different. She was only fourteen during that time so the ANBU had her watch over the _Village Pariah_. She wanted to know where he went for so long and just how much he changed. "How are you Naruto?" She finally managed to say something and cursed herself for something so stupid. It only got worse when she saw Naruto's eyebrow rise when she asked her question.

"I am well." Naruto replied clearly not interested in putting too much effort into the conversation.

Yugao half expected that kind of answer if Naruto's interaction with the Hokage was any indication. Sparing a glance at her one time charge Yugao decided to try again to get Naruto to engage in a conversation. "Why did you leave Naruto?" Yugao asked more curious than anything else after all he was the Hokage's son. He could have had anything he wanted and he would have got it. Yugao was glad to see Naruto had not reacted negatively to her question he actually kept walking with the same facial expression making her wonder if he was even listening to her.

"I left Konoha to learn how to protect myself." Naruto answered telling the truth since that was his reason. It was true that Itachi and Yugao did protect him when he was younger but that was then. Now he could only rely on himself for protection and to do that he needed to get stronger which he did. Naruto had not fooled himself into believing that he was almighty; no Naruto knew he still had much more growing to do. His eyes alone had much more potential than they were letting on. Naruto made sure he would make use of this potential to further his ambitions.

The two were now firmly in the Red Light District and were seemingly oblivious to their surroundings. Well Yugao was because she was busy trying to figure out the new Naruto walking with her. Naruto was highly aware of the people around them going about their daily lives but he chose to ignore them. Naruto knew that Yugao wanted to learn more about him and decided to help her out in what would seem to be an indirect way. "The Hokage will no doubt come to see my test. If anyone had a grudge against him this would be the perfect time to act, no matter how foolish it would be to do so."

Yugao turned her head to look at Naruto to see what he meant by those words but his face gave away nothing. 'What did he mean by that? Could he be planning to attack Yondaime-sama? No he knows that no one in this village would do so not to mention Hokage-sama's power is only rivaled by Lord Third. Wait he is telling me that I could watch over Hokage-sama as well as see his battle. Thank you Naruto.' That was when the two shinobi arrived at the door to Naruto's flat. Turning to face Yugao with his door to the back Naruto looked into the slit eyes on the mask.

"Thank you…Yugao." Naruto thanked her before entering his new home.

Yugao stood there in front of the door in shock staring at nothing as she tried to make sense of what just happened. 'Not once during his time with the Hokage did he say thank you. And this new Naruto doesn't seem to say things just to say it.' Yugao left in a Leaf Shunshin to return to her duty of guarding the Hokage but there was a small smile on her facial features behind her mask.

* * *

The time limit given had passed for Naruto to take his test and still Naruto was sitting on the center training post in Training Ground 7. It was only a few hours from dusk yet Nauto's body language only showed calm despite his opponent seeming to be late. Naruto decided to review his time back in Konoha which was rather pleasant. No one bothered him inside of his new flat even the ANBU who were no doubt watching him were keeping their wits to themselves. On his way to the training ground he did not receive any glares he even got a few smiles mostly from children but there were a few from some of the adults. Naruto knew he was only on the receiving end of those smiles because they did not know who he was.

Naruto had shed his gray traveling cloak since he was now in the village. Underneath he had a gray zip up vest with a hood and short sleeves. The vest held an interesting design of nine magatama around the neck line and they were crimson in collar. Naruto wore black ANBU pants with short boots that went up to his ankles. The reason for that was many times in battle Mihawk stepped on his toes calling him an idiot for having such a glaring opening. His hands were clad with black fingerless gloves to protect his hands, a common practice for swordsmen.

'It seems that they are here.' Naruto thought since he could feel a chakra signature in the forest in front of him. He recognized the signature as Yugao's signature; he had become quite accustomed to it since she was the only person he had, had extensive exposure to. 'If Yugao is here then the Yondaime and the Old Man are probably near her. No surprise I can't feel their signatures, they aren't Hokages for a reason.' Naruto concluded as he continued to sit in a meditative position atop the training post. That was when a second chakra signature flared up in the woods behind him for a moment.

That was when a fireball came from the same part of the woods that Naruto felt the chakra burst coming from. The fireball quickly engulfed Naruto's seated position and expanded slightly swallowing up the entire training post. The ball of flames shrouded the poof of smoke that emerged when the fireball contacted Naruto. Each set of eyes in the premises were trained on the scorched post where there were no sign of Naruto or even a training post. The real Naruto who was sitting in the forest stealthily made his way to a tree behind where his clone sitting and saw a shinobi sitting there crouched and focused on the field.

"Yes I am still here." Naruto whispered softly making the shinobi in front of him tense since he had not detected Naruto's presence. Before he was even able to react Naruto kicked him from his perch and knocked him into the open training field where he dropped down into soon after. Naruto saw that his opponent was a tall man with dark, spiky hair and he was wearing red rimmed sunglasses which Naruto found useless considering the sun was going to go down soon. The man was wearing the standard Leaf Jounin garb with a Leaf headband that was tilted to the left slightly.

Naruto decided he would get straight to the point since he didn't feel like wasting anymore of his time with this useless test. Naruto reached behind him and pulled out his blade that was hidden by his cloak earlier. The blade was a finely crafted katana with the handle wrapped in a black fabric that had diamonds cut into the fabric showing the white handle underneath. The handle also had a hand guard encompassing it on each side to prevent damaged hands. That also let the charm be clipped on to so it was resting on the back of his hands as he gripped the handle of his blade. The blade was made of chakra conductive metal where the top of the blade was a jet black. The bottom of the blade was a snow white color and where they had met it was a shade of grey much like the coat of a wolf. This was the blade known as _Twilight_ and it was a gift from both Mifune and Mihawk.

Naruto watched with an impassive face as the wind blew his hood down revealing his cold blue eyes to the special Jounin Aoba. That was when he saw Aoba pull free his own katana that was completely black from blade to the hilt. While intrigued by the black blade Naruto moved to engage his opponent bringing _Twilight _down in a slashing motion which was blocked by Aoba. Aoba tried to push back on Naruto but found that countered as Naruto let his katana slide lower on the black blade and forced it up. Planning on forcing his advantage Naruto flipped _Twilight_ horizontally and went to stab Aoba but the sunglasses wearing ninja was already out of his reach.

'Hokage-sama's son is very skilled with his blade perhaps I should have not challenged him with my own blade.' Aoba rushed forward and re-engaged the younger raven haired boy in another Kenjutsu exchange. The two blades clashed with each other over and over sparks showering from each point of contact. Both Aoba and Naruto knew that Naruto was getting the better of the exchange and was forcing Aoba back. When Aoba made a mistake in lunging too far with one of his sword swipes Naruto scored a hit by cutting Aoba across the right arm making Aoba hiss in pain.

Aoba jumped back and looked at Naruto for a moment to see what seemed to be a bored look on his face. Taking his actions as accommodating Aoba glanced down to examine his new wound and he was pleased to see that it was a light cut. 'It looks like I won't be able to best him in a Kenjutsu duel so why not add a bit on Ninjutsu. He hasn't even performed a hand sign yet.' Aoba observed not believing that Naruto could do Ninjutsu but what he wasn't aware of was that Naruto just did not wish for that information to be revealed.

* * *

Meanwhile in the woods standing and watching the fight were Hiruzen and Minato with Yugao hiding in a tree near them also watching Naruto's performance. Each of the three Konoha shinobi were amazed at Naruto's skill especially Yugao who specialized with a blade. "Naruto-kun's skill with that katana is exceptional." Hiruzen commented with no small amount of pride in the young man in front of him. If he had to guess Naruto's skill was high Chunin to low Jounin level. He wondered just who could have taught him such skills the only people he could think of would have been the samurai of Tetsu no Kuni. Of course there was Kumo but they would no doubt kill Naruto if he asked to be trained by them since he was Minato's son.

"Yes his sword skills are very well refined though he hasn't shown any Ninjutsu or Genjutsu skills to accompany his Kenjutsu. However he is keeping Aoba in a close quarter's combat scenario to prevent him from using his Ninjutsu while pressing his advantage in the field of Kenjutsu." Minato concluded his analysis and could say that was at least a Chunin level of thought. Minato was sure that Naruto could be Chunin if he wanted to because he could also see the way he carried himself was that of someone who had seen battle. Minato just wondered how much he had seen.

Yugao was silently watching as Naruto skillfully countered each of his opponent's attacks and scored more than his share of glancing blows. She could tell Naruto was holding back since it was nothing more than a spar. 'Amazing he is doing all of this with just the base Kenjutsu style. He has yet to use any techniques and he has a clear advantage!' Yugao thought watching as Naruto kept Aoba on the defensive. Yugao made a note to have a duel with Naruto when she had some off time to see just how skilled he was because it was clear to her, an experienced swordswomen that Naruto was holding back.

"Yes Naruto-kun is very combat aware to keep Aoba from using whatever advantages he may have over him. He would make an excellent Chunin but he seems to be content with being a Genin. I guess that doesn't matter though since the Chunin Exams are coming up in a few months." Hiruzen replied with a small smile since he couldn't wait to see who he considered to be a grandson excel like he knew he would. Hiruzen knew Naruto was hiding his skills from them even if it was to your own village deception was still a shinobi's most powerful weapon.

"Yes and we will be hosting these exams." Minato confirmed Hiruzen's statement with a nod of his head as his thoughts drifted to the Chunin Exams. The blonde Kage wondered how many teams would be sent to Konoha from the other villages. It would make sense for them to showcase their shinobi to show they were stronger than the other villages' shinobi. He made note to expand the stadium they had built already to accommodate what he assumed would be one of the largest exams in history. Minato sighed softly when he imagined the paperwork he would have to do. 'There has to be some way to defeat the monster known as paperwork!' Minato thought desperately.

* * *

'This kid is ridiculous. If this wasn't just a spar I would have been dead many times over. I guess it wasn't wise to challenge him with a sword since it has been awhile since I used my black blade.' Planting his hand in the dirt Aoba used his leg to sweep Naruto's legs out from under him. Naruto reacted late and was clipped in the ankle making him stumble midair which Aoba used to his advantage by slamming a fist into his torso. 'There that was the space I needed now I can use my jutsu.' Aoba held a hand sign after going through a small chain of signs.

"**Scattering Thousand Crows Technique."**

Aoba pointed his finger and hundreds of crows flocked around Naruto cawing and flapping their wings covering Naruto's vision impaired with loose feathers. Naruto remained calm as he stared at the crows closely as Aoba continued to blind his younger opponent. 'This will make my black blade strikes next to impossible to see let alone dodge.' Aoba thought confidently as he tightened his grip on the black hilt of his black blade. Aoba paused momentarily as we watched Naruto remain stationary as he stared at his flock of crows. 'Why isn't he trying to escape or at least bat the crows away?'

"Ah now it makes sense. These are not crows but blackbirds." Naruto stated plainly as he turned to where Aoba was last. He couldn't see Aoba but if he could he would see the shocked visage on his face. Naruto was curious as to why Aoba called them crows since only Itachi and himself had signed the Crow Contract. Upon closer examination of these so called "crows" Naruto could see that they were actually smaller than a crow and had a colorful patch under their wings. Naruto could only assume he used the word crow to strike more fear into opponents since crows were known to be scavengers, an interesting ploy indeed.

"I will show you Crows." Naruto stated plainly making a few hand signs with one hand and Crows started emerge from his body and chased away the smaller black birds. That was the useful aspect of the Crows the smaller summons were actually murders of crows and not a singular one and required small amounts of chakra to call. Naruto stood there calmly as his Crows chased off the blackbirds leaving black feathers to fall around him leaving him in a ring of black feathers. Naruto stared impassively his eyes devoid of emotion as Aoba stared with wide eyes behind his sunglasses. No one had ever been able to see through that technique before. Naruto did just that but also disabled it.

"I have had enough of this." Naruto stated to himself as he started to channel his chakra through _Twilight_ but instead of glowing blue like the usual form chakra would take it was gray with small flickers of red. He didn't want to reveal to much but he needed to end this before he was forced to reveal a few more of his tricks. Naruto readied his hand and with a single flourish of his hand the chakra shot from the length of his blade and expanded out horizontally. Aoba, Minato, Hiruzen, and Yugao all were looking at the way of grey chakra with the small red flickers with surprise.

'That is the technique of the Samurai!'

"**Kami no ken'nomai: Severance from the Material World." **

Naruto's technique went unheard to everyone else simply because he said it in a low whisper as to keep it away from their ears. Not that Aoba would have heard it anyways as he was too busy trying to avoid the massive wave of chakra. Aoba's only option was to fall onto his back because he didn't even have to time to drop on his hands and knees. That was what Naruto needed. Rushing forward Naruto pointed _Twilight _at Aoba's neck with the same cold, empty look in his cerulean eyes. "Submit…" Naruto said it wasn't even a demand since he knew the shinobi was not foolish enough to say no. Aoba simply nodded his head swallowing a lump in his throat.

Nodding his head approvingly Naruto removed his blade away and strapped it back onto his back and looked up. He saw Minato, Hiruzen and Yugao each standing on a tree stump looking at Naruto. Those three trees were not the only ones cut clean through. The cut went through ten trees in both directions and at least three rows back into the forest. Naruto waited patiently as the observers walked forward and Minato dismissed Aoba. Naruto could see the pride in Minato's eyes and he wondered how the man could feel any pride for someone he cast away like a piece of used paper.

"Naruto what was that technique?" Minato asked hopefully being able to get Naruto to tell him something concrete. Naruto had not shown anything except Crows and a skill with his katana and he just needed to know more. Maybe all that time with Kushina and his daughters was starting to change his personality. Naruto let one of his eyebrows raise. Did he really expect Naruto to just give away his information? He may have hidden it with curiosity but he was still phishing for information, Naruto's information. Naruto personally had no plans to share anything with this man, especially this man.

"It was a chakra flow technique." Naruto stated what they all obviously saw. This way he was able to be vague and say he answered the question.

Yugao watched as Naruto spoke with Hiruzen before going to Minato and receiving his Leaf headband which was placed on a black fabric. She was amazed by the cutting strength behind Naruto's attack and knew that he had his own style of Kenjutsu. All of this only made her want to duel with the young shinobi even more than before. She briefly entertained the idea of asking Naruto about his style but killed that idea since this Naruto was much more guarded than the one from his childhood years. But maybe if she got to spend more time with him then she could try to ask. Maybe not…

"I will take my leave now." Naruto stated simply when he received no disagreement Naruto's body dissembled into a murder of crows each cawing loudly as they flew away. The two Kage and one ANBU stood there in the field at dusk as a small wind blew across the field staring at the spot Naruto was occupying. Each went their own way their duties for the day done with and many differing things to think about. Some of these thoughts revolved around Naruto's return and some did not. All that was certain was that things were bound to get exciting in the Hidden Leaf Village.

* * *

Naruto was laying on his new bed inside of his new home and was simply staring at the ceiling his blue eyes still containing that cold glimmer. Even though this new home was just as empty as his old room when he lived with the Namikazes he felt much more at home. Naruto was resting with his hands folded behind his head and _Twilight_ leaning on the bed just in case one of those foolish villages tried anything against him. Naruto's eyes glanced at the door to his bedroom but what he saw was all of the doors in his new home.

'I need to brush up on my Fuinjutsu.' Naruto reminded himself since he had slacked off on his training in that art. 'The first step in my plan is complete. I now have a village to protect me from the other villages. Now all I need to do is grow here in Konoha while keeping an eye out for internal threats. Then once I have the power I desire I will begin to exterminate these threats. For Konoha.' Naruto said mentally before falling asleep Itachi's influence showing clearly in Naruto's thoughts.

* * *

Information:

**Kami no ken'nomai **(Divine Sword Dance): Naruto's Kenjutsu style created during his time in Tetsu no Kuni under the tutelage of Mihawk and Mifune who made the sword to accommodate the style. The style uses the Samurai Sabre Technique as inspiration. Naruto uses his own chakra to manipulate the affects of his attacks such as shape and spatial affects.

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**Review Response:** Okay now I am going to respond to reviews in a general sense. If you are going to flame me at least have enough courage to put a name to your words instead of using a guest. Also if you are going to tell me my scenes are written badly please make your review somewhat coherent. I don't need to get into the Sharingan thing since I already addressed in the beginning Author Note so you'll have to be patient for that.

Now moving on to whether or not Naruto will just up and forgive his family I believe you can expect more of what you saw in this chapter. Naruto keeping the small gift _**DOES NOT **_mean he has accepted them as family. I want that to be very clear on that matter. Oh and if you review in a language that is not English or I won't understand it.

**AN: Here is the newest chapter to my story. And I say ha to all of you who were just telling me see you in a month in the PM's. I also ask that you try not to flame. I do respect logically put together disagreements but not flames. Well enjoy! Ja Ne-Matt**


	3. Roaring Waves

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto and it is depressing to have to admit this each and every chapter!**

**Don't forget to read the Review Response section at the end!**

* * *

Naruto Uchiha: The Prophet with the Cursed Eyes

* * *

The business sector of Konohagakure no Sato was alive and bustling with people each trying to find the best deals or a place to eat lunch. It was a place that was alive until the dead of night with those who were searching for something. People were chatting and exchanging money for goods with happy smiles on their face when they found their desired objects or a disheartened expression when their search was fruitless. The people were going through an age of economic prosperity thanks to the accomplishments of their village's Kage. Konoha's economy was the classic case of a trickle-down effect.

Minato Namikaze was a shinobi of extraordinary caliber with an even greater legend pinned with his name. It was these accomplishments that brought the minor shinobi villages to Konoha's doorstep for the creation economic trading between the various parties. With those trading agreements the influx of goods came in more products and the demand for Konoha products to bring to new markets. This gave people new creature comforts to purchase in hopes to impress people or just live comfortably. One thing was certain though and that was there were happy smiles on the faces of the civilians. The atmosphere around the Village Hidden in the Leaves could be called jovial.

There was a pair of ice cold blue eyes that could see through all of this _happiness_ to see the true nature of the people around him. Under this façade of glee and celebration Naruto could see what was truly lurking there. It was greed and malice just like Naruto was subjugated to all those years ago when things weren't going so well. That was when the village was recovering and their hate drew them to the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox or in their eyes Naruto. Even the children at that time who knew not of the pain caused by the Fox ignored him and left him in isolation. It was for that blind hatred and abandonment that Naruto had loss all attachment to people of the village aside from a select few.

One visible eye staring impassively as he walked and another hidden by the black hair hanging over the eye Naruto watched these _people_ go on with their insignificant lives. Naruto's figure most have gave him an air of professionalism since the adults would give him smiles as he walked by, which he ignored. The only time Naruto showed any form of reaction was when a group of children around the age of seven or eight stopped in front of him and gave him bright smiles and small waves. That was the time Naruto nodded to them with the faintest of smiles on his lips. Those children had not done anything to contribute to his misery and for that reason he would acknowledge them.

People who had yet to be corrupted by hate have been protected from the world by their upbringing. Now Naruto didn't believe that meant they were sheltered. No that just meant they had yet to see the true evil that the world could dish out. Natural death while sad did not fill a person with hate. Only the actions of another could create such strong feelings in a human being. If someone lost a loved one or thing thanks to the actions of another or a group their heart would no doubt bear hatred. Naruto just happened to channel his hatred for the betterment of what he held dear instead of the path of the _Avenger_.

Naruto continued on his stroll through the village's business sector silently making his way to his original destination. Naruto after about twenty more minutes of walking at a relaxed pace made his way into the Uchiha District. Naruto gazed around and pictured hundreds of Uchiha littering the streets some nervous about their coup and others living innocently. Naruto could only imagine what the former Uchiha clan were thinking when they thought they could get away with something like a revolt. 'I can tell you what they were thinking. They thought that their eyes made them a force of nature. It was that thought that made Itachi kill them all, for their foolishness.'

The Uchiha would have had to first mobilize enough assets to defeat Minato and as much as Naruto disliked admitting that alone would be challenging. Then they would have had to deal with Hiruzen as well before they took over the seat of Hokage. Even if they managed to deal with those two Kage then the Uchiha would have to battle with the other clans in the village to assume control of Konoha. That would be no simple task for another Hidden Village let alone one clan. Itachi's way of killing the Uchiha was the most peaceful way of settling the issue of the Uchiha Uprising. If he did not then the Village would have been tossed into a civil war killing many civilians.

Fools so easily blinded by power were not meant to wield power and that included the former Uchiha clan. Naruto also grouped Minato into that grouping since he allowed the civilian and council push around him, the Hokage around when they were meant to be simple advisors. Naruto found it amusing that out all of the Hokage, that he respected was the Senju brothers Hashirama and Tobirama. Naruto respected their power however he by no means liked the two legendary Senju. It was impossible for a Senju and an Uchiha to like each other but respecting each other was another story all together.

Naruto walked right up to a large clan house and knocked on the door and waited patiently for a response. Naruto allowed his focus to drift to the numerous empty buildings that were towering over the area casting shadows of the past on the hollow ground. Naruto internally mused how long it would take for the Council to try and raze the Uchiha District just so they could make more money. 'No that would be the reason they would give but in truth they would do that to try and wipe away the stain the massacre left on the village. Perception is reality.'

The soft sound of light, approaching footsteps knocked Naruto from his internal observations on the village. Naruto only had to wait a few more moments for the door he knocked on to open up. The person who had opened the door was Mikoto Uchiha one of the few people Naruto would say that he cared for in the village. Mikoto had not changed much since Naruto had left. She still had long black hair and black eyes. To Naruto she appeared to have gotten shorter but that was thanks to the growing he went through during his time with Mihawk and Itachi.

Naruto's normally frozen blue eyes held an affectionate warmth in them as Mikoto gasped before pulling the younger ravenette into a motherly hug. Naruto slowly wrapped his arms around the Uchiha woman returning the embrace. Itachi had told him that he was allowed to spare both his mother and his younger brother. At first he was to just spare Sasuke but it seems that Kushina was able to convince her husband to keep her best friend, Mikoto alive. Naruto was glad to see the woman who was his mother in all facets of the word during his childhood unlike Kushina.

Naruto found himself being pulled into the house without a word being said not that he minded Mikoto brining him in. Soon Naruto and Mikoto were sitting on a couch in what appeared to be the living room. The smile Mikoto was giving Naruto made his heart warm with happiness and joy. Hanging around with two stoic, serious men like Itachi and Mihawk will often cool if not freeze one's emotions. Naruto took no time in returning Mikoto's warm smile with a smaller yet equally affectionate smile. "When did you get back Naru-kun?" Mikoto asked barely able to contain her excitement from seeing her surrogate son.

"I just got back yesterday but I couldn't visit you because I had some business to take care of with the Hokage." Naruto replied in an even tone since thinking about Minato often drained him of any positive emotions he may have been feeling at the time. He planned on visiting Mikoto if he had the time but yesterday just did not allow it. He thought of sending a Kage Bunshin but decided he wanted to talk with Mikoto in person. Using a clone to talk with Mikoto felt just wrong but that was only because of who it was. Naruto would have no problem with sending a shadow clone to address Minato or the Council.

"That is ok! I am just glad you are finally back!" Mikoto chirped happily giving Naruto's hand a gentle squeeze. In reality she was more than glad she was elated that Naruto had finally come back. Her relationship with Sasuke had all but deteriorated as more time passed after the massacre. Sasuke was so set in getting stronger that he dismissed Mikoto's credentials beveling she was nothing more than a housewife. Apparently Sasuke was not aware that Mikoto was on par with Kushina in terms of strength and those two were plenty capable Jounin. "How was your training!?" Mikoto asked excitedly.

Naruto went on to tell her how he and Mihawk left the village that night and started their journey for the Land of Iron. Naruto told Mikoto how Naruto had taken his first life in the Land of Lightning when he and Mihawk had come across a settlement of bandits. Naruto told her how Mihawk said that killing someone under his eye now was a better choice than having him doing it later and freezing up something Mikoto agreed with. Naruto then recalled his time in Tetsu no Kuni and how he created his own sword style under the eye of Mifune and Mihawk.

Naruto then told Mikoto about how he had three natural affinities which were Fire, Wind and Lightning. Naruto remembered how Mihawk and Itachi referenced those three affinities as the three affinities of destruction. Naruto told Mikoto how while improving his wind style Ninjutsu with Mihawk he learned his fire styles with Itachi. Mifune and Mihawk assisted in accompanying those styles with his swordplay. Mikoto's smile grew wider hearing Naruto's admission getting over the initial surprise of Naruto having three affinities she offered to help Naruto train his lightning affinity. This brought a small smile to Naruto's face since he was just going to grab some scrolls to train but learning from someone with more experience was always far better than reading it from a scroll.

"Come Naru-kun now you are going to show me just how far you have come with the scrolls Shisui and I gave you." Mikoto said happily as she pulled Naruto from the house to the wide backyard behind the house. Naruto took a moment to admire the natural beauty that the trees and flowers seemed to give to the training area. There was even a small pond at the far end of the field for what Naruto guessed was water style Ninjutsu. Naruto blinked away the daze he found himself pulled into by the nature around him. Naruto focused in on Mikoto who was standing across from them. "Well then show me how far you have come _Naru-chan_!"

Naruto did not visibly react to Mikoto's rather obvious attempt to get under his skin with that insulting suffix. Instead of showing agitation Naruto brought his hand over one of the crimson magatama on his zip-up vest. There was a small plume of smoke before Naruto found himself with a handful of shuriken. Naruto chucked the five black stars at Mikoto not waiting for results he held a hand sign and vanished in thin air. Mikoto avoided the spinning stars of death easily and glanced to her left where Naruto had reappeared. Naruto quickly threw more shuriken at Mikoto. Mikoto who did not have her own ninja tools could only avoid the projectiles instead of deflecting them.

Mikoto caught a small flash of smoke from the corner of her eye and turned her head to look at the smoke to see that it was already gone and Naruto was there. Mikoto reacted with a kick aimed at Naruto's chest which Naruto could not avoid thanks to his attempt to rise up before the kick was thrown at him. Naruto crossed his arms in front of his chest using his forearms to absorb the impact behind the kick. Naruto slid back from the force of the kick and started to shake the tingling in his arms away. "Your Shunshin jutsu was nearly flawless but your Substitution jutsu could use some work."

"Now Naru-kun show me your elemental-" Mikoto's request was cut short when both she and Naruto focused in on the puff of smoke that erupted in between the two. When the smoke blew away it revealed an ANBU crouched facing Naruto. The ANBU was dressed in the standard ANBU attire with a Bear mask. Naruto just knew he wasn't about to like what this man had to say to him.

"Namikaze-Sama, Hokage-sama requires your presence immediately." Bear's tone was calm yet insistent. Naruto frowned for a moment before it washed away under a look of boredom that took over Naruto's face. He wondered if Minato already had something for him to do already. Naruto glance over to Mikoto to see her nodding her head understanding that he had to go for the time being. Naruto not even bothering to acknowledge the ANBU held a hand sign and vanished in a Shunshin. The Bear masked ANBU quickly followed suit in a Hidden Leaf Shunshin to return to his duties. Mikoto sighed softly before walking back into her home.

Naruto formed from a murder of crows inside of the Hokage's office alerting the man who was his father to his presence. Naruto figured just showing up in a Shunshin would end poorly for him since it was unwise to startle a Kage. Once fully formed Naruto found himself looking at a smiling Minato Namikaze. Naruto just stared at the man with an impassive gaze as he brought his arms up and crossed them over his chest. Naruto was irritated that he had to leave one of his favorite people for one he had nothing positive to say about. Minato's smile faltered realizing that Naruto was not going to say a word until addressed.

"I have received a request for backup from Team Seven. It would appear that their mission to escort Tazuna, the bridge builder to the Land of Waves has taken a turn for the worst. On the way to Nami no Kuni they were attacked by Three Swordsmen of the Hidden Mist. Zabuza Momochi, _The Demon of the Hidden Mist_. A former missing Nin from Kirigakure who wields the Kubikiribōchō but was reported to be wearing a Kiri headband without the cut across the Kiri insignia. Accompanying Zabuza was Kushimaru Kuriarare. We were under the impression Kushimaru had fled from Kiri but that seems to not be the case. There is also another, a boy around your age who has pointed teeth and blue hair. There is no intel on this boy." Minato relayed what Kushina and Kakashi had given him into a report.

"Normally I would send another Genin team to back up Team Seven however the other teams are already out doing missions in the fields. That is why I will be sending you to Nami no Kuni, alone." Minato added to see if Naruto would show anything similar to an outward reaction but Naruto did not even bat an eyelash. Naruto continued to stare at Minato with one cold eye visible and the other hidden by his black hair. "I am safe in assuming that you know where Nami no Kuni is?" Naruto just nodded his head slowly to his Kage's question.

Minato waved his hand dismissing Naruto who took his leave immediately via a Shunshin since he had all he needed.

* * *

Naruto was walking through the streets of the Nami no Kuni and it reminded him of how he was forced to live when he was a child in Konoha. Most of the food the vendors were displaying were rotten or on the verge of rotting. All of the buildings looked like they were on their last leg and one good, strong wind would knock over the buildings. Each of the towns Naruto had passed on the way looked much like this one. Naruto found a rather modest looking pub and figured that he could find what he was looking for there.

Opening the doors Naruto took note of the oppressive atmosphere lingering in the pub that engulfed him as he stepped in. Naruto silently listened to the quiet conversations that were going on around the bar. Naruto continued to hear the name Gato in each of the conversations he listened in on. Naruto went through all the information he had learned during his travels with Mihawk and Itachi. 'Gato is the business tycoon and shipping magnate. Founded Gato Company and is apparently occupying Land of Great River along with Nami no Kuni. Possible that he hired the Kiri shinobi to remove Tazuna whose bridge would break his monopoly.'

"Yeah apparently Tazuna-san has hired some shinobi so that he can finish the bridge. That was why he had all those extra people with him. I am just glad he lives at the far east end of the village that way I'll be safe if they get caught in a shinobi battle!" That last exclamation got a round of cheers from the other patrons. A few of them didn't look to happy with what the unnamed man said. This told Naruto that these people were probably bridge workers under Tazuna's lead. Naruto moved from his spot leaning near the entrance and walked out of the bar since he heard all he needed.

It only took Naruto around ten minutes to get to the end of the small village and that was just because he took his time. Naruto came up to a rather modest two story home and knocked on the door. It only took a few moments for someone to open the door and greet Naruto. The person who greeted Naruto was a woman with long navy blue hair and a pink shirt and was looking at Naruto questioningly. "Hello my name is Tsunami. May I ask why you are here and who you are?" Tsunami asked politely as she kept the door partially open shielding part of her body.

"Hello my name is Naruto and I am here as the reinforcements that the Team called for." Naruto explained in his normal bored tone but there was a politeness mixed in there with the usual monotone. Naruto watched with bored, blue eyes as he saw Tsunami's naturally guarded posture visibly relax and her smile brightened. Tsunami stepped to the side and let the door open for Naruto to make his way into the home. Naruto stepped inside of the margin with his hood over his head. He could hear the loud chatter of his sisters and mother in the other room with a more masculine voice laughing. He assumed that was the bridge builder, Tazuna since Kakashi was not quite as scruffy.

"My they sent you all alone? You're no older than the others with Kakashi-san and Kushina-san." Tsunami said with no small amount of surprise that Naruto alone was the reinforcing force Konoha had sent. Naruto chose not to reply to Tsunami's statement since it was clear the woman was ignorant to the shinobi world. In the world of the shinobi there were children younger than Naruto and stronger than Kakashi who was a high A-rank shinobi in his own right. That wasn't the woman's fault though since Nami no Kuni had no shinobi force stationed within its borders. The only thing they had resembling a military was the Daimyo's personal samurai guard.

Naruto and Tsunami walked into what appeared to be the dining room where everyone seated took notice of the two. Tsunami took her seat again and Naruto simply stood behind an empty seat with his hood hiding his face. Team Seven plus Tazuna were all staring at Naruto curiously no doubt wondering who it was. Narumi noticed the handle of _Twilight_ and the charm hanging from the grip. Narumi's hands flew over her mouth as she gasped at the same time Naruto pulled his hood off of his head. Kushina, Narumi, Naomi, and Kakashi all had wide eyes as they gazed at the different yet familiar face of Naruto.

"Sochi!" Kushina cried out happily as unshed tears pooled in her eyes looking at her son who she had not seen in five years. She got up from her seat ready to hug her son but that was stopped by Naruto who held his hand up. Naruto's cold look got even colder when he looked at his so called family. His frigid visage made Sakura, Tazuna, and Sasuke all shudder while those he was looking at froze in place. Kushina brought her hand up over her heart which suddenly started to clutch in pain. It felt like she was being stabbed by the blade on her son's back, it felt horrible.

"Do not even bother trying to attempt touching me because I will react violently to any non-allowed physical contact. Also I am not your son, _Kushina_ you lost that right long ago." Naruto said coolly as he stared at Kushina with eyes as cold as steel. Kushina felt like she would break down in tears right then and there, Naomi and Narumi were not in any better of a state. Sakura, Tsunami, and Tazuna looked between Naruto and the others confusion evident on their respective faces. Sasuke was just sitting there silently thinking about the confrontation with the Swordsmen, not caring in the slightest about the drama before him.

Kakashi looked at the Namikaze-Uzumaki females and could see they were near their breaking point and hoped he could say something to stop this tense confrontation. "Now Naruto I am sure you don't mean that. After all Kushina-sama _is _your mother and Naomi and Narumi _are _your sisters." Kakashi explained with a lazy drawl as he looked up from his Icha Icha book right at the ravenette. He too was glad that his sensei's son had returned but what he was saying was just not something you say to your mother. Naruto's cold azure eyes stared at the mask wearing Jounin with cold indifference.

"It matters not. This is not the place to discuss personal matters, we are on a mission. However do not tell me what I mean _Scarecrow_." Naruto warned the smut reading shinobi with a cool tone that made the man cringe ever so slightly. "I have been briefed on the mission already so tell me what your plan is." Naruto continued on a more neutral tone getting over the irritation speaking with Kushina caused him. Naruto had not even bothered to sit down at the table which could be seen as rude but not to Naruto, no he saw it as unnecessary.

Kakashi closed the book once he saw Kushina staring at him murderously and with a nervous chuckle he turned to face Naruto. "I am going to work with Sasuke and Sakura in tree walking." Kakashi stated simply getting curious glances from the two Genin mentioned wondering just what he meant. Naruto had to fight back a scoff when he heard Kakashi say that the pink haired girl and the self-proclaimed great Uchiha had yet to master the simple tree walking exercise. Just what had the academy and Kakashi been teaching these _shinobi_ and using that word was a stretch at best.

Naruto turned his cool, penetrative gaze on his two sisters who had yet to say a word since he had arrived. Naomi and Narumi couldn't help but squirm under the brother's chilling gaze and what was worst he wasn't even glaring it was just a stare. Narumi initially thought that Naruto had forgiven them when she saw he had her gift but that quickly changed when Naruto spoke to their mother. Naomi had hoped to speak to Naruto but one look at her elder brother had stopped her dead in her tracks. Naruto turned his gaze to his Jounin superior, Kushina which let his sisters release the breathe they were not aware they were holding.

Kushina stared back at Naruto with a forlorn expression for an uncomfortable amount of time to everyone else besides the mother and son. Kushina snapping out of her somber trance looked at her daughters then to her son and smiles faintly. "I am going to teach Narumi-chan and Naomi-chan how to stay on the water's surface even when it gets stormy. You're welcome to join us." Kushina offered hopefully a hope shared by her two daughters who were all looking at the same person hopefully. Naruto looked at his _family_ and was not surprised that they were further ahead than the other two. However they were still behind him.

"I have no need for that training. I will watch the house." Naruto stated plainly and turned to leave the room when someone voiced their opinion.

"Even if you are the Hokage's son you are still weak. That's why you act like you already know this stuff. Just so you can show off." Team Seven's Uchiha stated ignorantly as he stared at Naruto's back with a smirk on his face. Naomi and Narumi were openly glaring at the Uchiha for insulting their brother like he just did. Sakura was glancing between the two worryingly because while she was Sasuke's number one supporter Naruto was the Hokage's son and something about Naruto that made Sakura very nervous. Naruto slowly turned around to regard the Sasuke who was still smirking arrogantly at him. Then it happened a quick flash of amusement invaded Naruto's usual cold, blue stare.

"Oh is that so? Then perhaps I can beat you down…just like I did yesterday?" Naruto suggested with his own smirk as he watched the Uchiha's face twist with agitation. Naruto was amused to see how easy it was to anger what he saw as a spoiled brat. He no doubt remembered how easily Naruto defeated him. Naruto thought that Sasuke was about to leap over the table and try again but fortunately for Sasuke, Kakashi acted first this time and calmed him down. Naruto turned back around and left the house jumping on to the roof and adopting a meditative stance as the other Genin went out to perform their chakra control exercises.

* * *

Kakashi had taken Sakura and Sasuke out to a forested are behind the house and stopped allowing Sakura and Sasuke to inspect their training ground. There were tree very tall trees in front of them with no branches sprouting from the sides. They didn't have any more time to admire the trees because Kakashi had thrown a kunai in front of each of them. Kakashi feeling their questioning looks looked up from his smut and explained. "Here is what you need to do to complete this exercise…" Kakashi then slowly walked towards the tree then without even breaking stride he walked straight up the tree and paused about half-way up the trunk. "…to complete this exercise you must apply the correct amount of chakra to the bottoms of your feet. Use those kunai to mark your progress."

Kakashi dropped from the tree he glued himself to and walked over to a smaller tree behind Sasuke and Sakura to supervise their training. Sakura leaned down and picked up the ninja tool looking at the tree with an unsure look. Sasuke snatched up his kunai and without a second thought rushed at the tree. Sasuke had taken a few steps up three before he was blown off the tree but not before he slashed the bark. Sasuke got off of his back with a growl as he glared at the tree as if it was a living human who had just insulted him, a rather comical sight.

"That is what happens when you use too much chakra Sasuke." Came Kakashi's lazy drawl which Sasuke didn't even bother to respond to. Picking himself up Sasuke attacked the tree once more this time with Kakashi's advice in mind. Sasuke's momentum carried him past his original mark and Sasuke thought he would make it this time. That was when his feet slipped off the bark and as he plummeted down he managed to cut the bark with the kunai before it was too late. "And that is what happens when you do not put enough chakra under your feet." Again came Kakashi's advice which held both a lecturing and amused tone seeing the Uchiha fall on his head.

Sasuke grunted as he righted himself and shot Sakura a glance expecting her to be in a similar state. Sasuke's black eyes widened when he saw Sakura sitting on a rather high branch up near the foliage with her tongue sticking out and looking very proud of herself. Sasuke snarled to himself and tightened the grip on the handle of the kunai. He was not happy that Sakura was ahead of him, an Uchiha. That thought alone was just infuriating. How could he kill Itachi if he couldn't even beat the pink haired kunoichi in tree climbing, he couldn't. Kakashi had a more logical perspective from his branch.

'No surprise in that one. Her folder said she was incredibly smart book wise so this simple of a theory wouldn't be too difficult for her to grasp. It also helps that she doesn't have the largest chakra reserves. She'd make a fine medic-nin.' Kakashi eye smiled looking at Sakura who was trying to not let Sasuke catch her giggling at his falling on his face. Kakashi leaned back against the tree he was occupying with a tranquil eye smile. 'I should have passed a Genin team long ago this is pretty nice.' Kakashi thought as he went back to reading his smut shamelessly as the two Genin under his tutelage continued to work.

* * *

Kushina, Naomi and Narumi had taken their training to a more suitable location down near the sea each lost in their thoughts at the moment. The waves came and went with fluctuations in the lengths of their crests fitting of the geographic space named _Nami no Kuni_. The only objects providing a break in the constant waves were the supports that dove into the water holding up what had been built of the bridge. The three kunoichi had not even made it into the water showing just how distracted they were from their son/brother's rather sudden reappearance in their lives.

Narumi was the first of the three who was able to break away from the mental trance Naruto's appearance had put them in. Narumi looking at her sister and mother smiled sadly since it seemed that they were in similar states. Coughing loudly to get their attention which it did Narumi gave them each a small smile. "Come on Naomi-chan, Kaa-san the sooner that we get this training done the sooner we can speak with Naruto-kun… _or try to at least." _Narumi decided to keep the last part to herself seeing the hopeful expressions on Kushina's and Naomi's faces so that she didn't crush their hopes.

Naomi shot her sister a beaming smile totally agreeing with her words and ready to finish their training. Naomi turned to face her smiling mother with fists clenched and eyes burning with determination. Kushina smiled proud of both her daughters, Narumi for her words and Naomi for her determination. Kushina channeled some chakra to her feet and launched into the air with the chakra enhancing her jump. Landing on the crest of a wave Kushina evenly distributed the chakra throughout the waves falling motion allowing her to stay stuck to the surface. Waiting for the wave to hit the bank Kushina jumped back in between her two daughters.

"Now you have been taught that to stick to a calm surface you need to channel a consistent amount of chakra to your feet however an active surface is another matter. If you try that while riding a wave you will be swallowed up by the wave. To stay atop a living wave you must apply different amounts of chakra to the soles of your feet some places more concentrated others not so much. Each wave is different than the last and the only way to learn is through experience. So off you go!" Kushina waved off her two students just as a large wave crashed down and created a light spray.

Taking a few moments to appraise the waves rolling in towards them the sisters looked at each other and nodded their heads and jumped on to the waves. They managed to balance themselves to the surface of the wave and for a few moments as the wave swelled down but then the two kunoichi sunk into the wave. Kushina would have been surprised if they had managed to do it on the first try because of the difficulty of this exercise. Naomi and Narumi climbed back on to the surface and waited for the next wave to roll in. The quicker they got this done the sooner they could try to make amends.

* * *

Naruto was sitting silently on the roof of the house with his eyes closed as his body set in a meditative position. He created a few shadow clones to observe the house while he meditated in the peace he was gifted. Naruto enjoyed mediation since it gave him reprieve from the daily burdens of shinobi life. He also learned that it helped fine tune chakra control it was these two things that had him thanking Mifune for forcing him to meditate. He could hear everything from the animals rustling through the woods to the waves crashing down on the shores.

That was when his attention was pulled elsewhere when he felt a small tug in his mind curious as to why he allowed himself to be pulled into. Waiting until the tugging sensation subsided Naruto slowly opened his eyes and looked at his new surroundings. The first thing he noticed was that his feet were wet but the first thing he saw were solid walls bathed in a faint orange light. Naruto arched his eyebrow as he looked around taking note of the large pipes that were hanging overhead. Naruto had his suspicions to where he was but knew of only one way to make sure he was right.

With his goal in mind Naruto began to wander in the only direction available to him and that was forward. Naruto continued to walk into the endless darkness but with each step more of the way was illuminated for him but just the space around him. Naruto thought this to be his mindscape which was a place in all living beings yet only few utilized the space. People like Jinchuuriki or even the Yamanaka who used the mindscape as a base of operation when scanning the mind for information during interrogations. The strange thing was that Itachi and Naruto had tried to access the mindscape something prevented them from doing so, most likely the conscious of the Kyuubi.

Finally after an uncertain amount of time spent walking Naruto found himself standing in the center of a large opening where all the pipes seemed to come to an end. In front of Naruto stood a line of thick steel bars that converged on a tag that had the kanji for _seal_ on it. Naruto looked into the darkness behind the bars with his cool, blue eyes. Naruto continued waiting until a growl that rippled the water around his feet. The only effect the growl had on Naruto was that it blew his hair black hair back. Once the growl ended a figure came from the shadows.

Not to his surprise Naruto was greeted by the sight of a large fox lying on his front paws staring at him with red, slitted eyes. Naruto looked over the mass of large orange fur and took note of how the kitsune's torso was similar to that of a human and he even had thumbs. The fox had large ears and what appeared to be whisker marks. Naruto knew this was the Kyuubi but yet the being of chakra didn't have nine tails he had half of a single tail. Naruto simply stared at the legendary creature not showing the slightest ounce of fear.

"**My jailor graces me with his presence. So to what do I owe this honor?" **The Kyuubi's voice was deep like a baritone and reverberated off the walls creating a dark echo. Naruto simply stared at the sarcastic biju with an arched brow. Certainly this creature did not take him for a fool. Naruto narrowed his eyes and glared at the beast coldly, he didn't not like being thought of as a fool. The Kyuubi meanwhile was slightly surprised at the chilling gaze the human before him was displaying. By no means did it instill fear into him but it was something to see that look in the eyes of a human.

"Do not play with me Kyuubi you will find out that I am not one for games. We both know that I do not hold any of your chakra and that you have been keeping me from entering this place." Naruto retorted unafraid of the beast said to be able to create tsunamis with a simple flick of a tail his voice holding the slightest amount of irritation. Kyuubi or not Naruto would not be manipulated by anyone or anything. Naruto would answer his own calls at the times he saw fit to do so. The Kyuubi just growled darkly to the human's rather flippant response to him, _the Kyuubi._

"**That is right I remember that night very well. Your **_**Father **_**and **_**Mother **_**took my chakra from me and sealed them into those two girls while leaving you with nothing but my conscious, quite the parental thing to do for their eldest son!" **The Kyuubi snarled showing off his glowing white fang to Naruto who stood there motionlessly his eyes closed. The Kyuubi was mentally preparing himself for Naruto to lose his cool façade and scream at him. Naruto opened his eyes revealing to the tailed beast his Sharingan blazing angrily at the beast. The Kyuubi's eyes burned with rage remembering all the times he was hypnotized by those cursed eyes.

"You will never call that man or that woman my parents ever again or there will be severe consequences. Do you understand me Kyuubi?" Naruto's voice was dark and dripping with animosity for the two people that the Kyuubi called his parents. Naruto did not care if this was the legendary Nine Tails he would not stand for such Kyuubi decided he would avoid antagonizing Naruto on that matter any further because with his lack of chakra he would no doubt be especially susceptible to a Genjutsu. That didn't mean he would not continue to belittle and insult the human before his eyes.

"**Finally you show those wretched eyes to me! Now take a few steps in so I can gouge out those eyes and crush them under my paw!" **The Kyuubi demanded of Naruto with an angry bellow that made the water splash up. Naruto brought his arms over his chest and crossed them staring at the Kyuubi with an impassive Sharingan gaze that reminded the Kyuubi of Madara the Kyuubi had his tails they would no doubt be swaying about angrily as he stared down at Naruto. Naruto of course did not listen to the Kyuubi's demand not that he thought the Kyuubi could hurt him without his chakra.

"So you know of my Sharingan? I guess that would mean you would have looked into my memories." Naruto said more to himself than to the Kyuubi who must have realized it since he didn't respond. Naruto let his red eyes drift to where he could see a half orange, bushy tail resting on the floor which gave him a question to be asked. "Why are your tails missing?" The question was blunt with no sign of an ulterior motive. The Kyuubi could not sense anything negative coming from the Sharingan wielder. Not greed, hatred, or even ambition it was like looking into a void.

The Kyuubi of course went through the memories of the young human and was impressed with what he viewed. Despite all of the rather cruel acts that the other humans had performed on him Naruto had not blamed his presence for the humans' actions. Naruto thought nothing of him there was nothing negative nor positive. There was only respect for what he was capable of nothing more. What the Kyuubi did uncover was that Naruto had no love for most of the village his family included. The Kyuubi didn't respect Naruto, not by a long shot but he would answer the question since the boy was able to see through the world's hatred towards him.

"**Even someone like the Yondaime Hokage who your people hail as a legend cannot completely suppress me only a God or the Sage could have done that! I can feel the chakra slowly resonating in my consciousness. I assume it is because of your proximity to the two sources of my chakra." **The Kyuubi started with a prideful tone that faded to nothing more than an informative one by the end. The Kyuubi could only speculate as to what was happening since he had never had his Yin and Yang chakra sealed separately let alone his consciousness in a third body.

Naruto nodded his head taking the explanation as fact since it did make sense that chakra as potent as the Kyuubi's would somehow find its way back. Naruto knew he would need help in the future and what better ally than the Kyuubi. Now he wasn't foolish enough to believe the being of malice and destruction would trust him right away but he could take a step in the right direction. "I see that makes sense. Is there anything I can do for you for answering my question?" Naruto offered but held his hand up when he saw the Kyuubi about to give his request. "Aside from unsealing you because than you'd fade without the correct amount of chakra to sustain yourself, that and I am not sure how this seal works yet."

The Kyuubi of course did not expect Naruto to be so logical when it came to his unsealing he thought Naruto would have just yelled about how it would kill him. Showing nothing except the usual snarl the Kyuubi stared at Naruto. **"I grow tired of going through your memories and I'd like to see the outside world once more. If you tear off a piece of the tag I will be able to see what you see, hear what you hear and feel what you feel to an extent. It will also create a communication channel between us." **The Kyuubi said while staring at the shinobi with discerning eyes trying to pick up on emotions that weren't there.

Naruto stared back into the red eyes of the Kyuubi with his own red eyes for what may have seemed like an eternity to anyone who wasn't the Kyuubi or Naruto. Naruto let his arms drop to his sides and took a few purposeful strides forward where I cyclone of water raised him up to the seal tag. Pinching his fingers around the top, left corner of the tag with a swift pull he ripped off the edge. There was a brief flash of pain that made Naruto fall to the floor hunched over in pain. Naruto righted himself once the pain subsided looking at the Kyuubi his red eyes fading back to ice cold blue.

Naruto brushed the one bang hanging over his eye away and it just fell back to its original position over his blue eye. Naruto felt a slight propelling in his mind and assumed that his time in the mindscape was coming to an end. "Thank you for the knowledge Kyuubi. I will be seeing you." Naruto waved over his shoulder as he retreated into the hallway he had come from ignoring the Kyuubi's rather loud scoff. With his pseudo-container gone the Kyuubi retreated back into the darkness and let himself be claimed by sleep once more since the connection took a lot from him thanks to his lack of chakra.

* * *

It had been three days since Naruto had opened up his senses to the Kyuubi and he had yet to hear from his tenant. Naruto guessed he was simply taking a nap since he seemed kind of lazy to the young shinobi. There had been a number of interesting moments that had happened over the last three days. One of those moments was when he was confronted by Team Seven seeking answers which he did not give them. Sasuke was not happy with Naruto's choice and tried to force the answers out of him but Sasuke quickly found himself unconscious on the ground.

The other incident he found amusing was when his so called family tried to convince him to eat dinner with them. Naruto immediately declined and walked away from the group of people that gathered around the table. That was when Tsunami's brat Inari had come down stairs and so surely proclaimed that they knew nothing of misery and pain. Naruto was sick of listening to the spoiled brat and released a wave of potent killer intent to silence the child. With that Naruto left the house and didn't return until everyone was sound asleep since he didn't want to deal with conversation.

Naruto was following behind Team Seven and Tazuna as they walked towards the bridge Tazuna was creating that happened to be the source of these problems. Kakashi had insisted that Naruto follow his orders and join the formation that he had come up with. Naruto refused reminding him that his mission was to provide combat support while their mission was to protect the bridge builder. Kakashi had not bothered him with his foolish attempts to pull rank since that altercation. Naruto took note of how the mist started to thicken as they walked closer to the bridge. That was when there was a rush of information hit Naruto.

A shadow clone he left to guard the family since it would be logical for someone to try something against Tazuna's family. Naruto's assumption proved to be true when two wannabe samurai cut through the front door of the home. Naruto's clone watched from behind the samurai as they threatened Inari and moved to take Tsunami hostage. That was when his clone struck cutting the tanned samurai's hand clean off making the man howl in pain. The clone was feeling kind so he retreated outside so that the woman and child would not be forced to watch two deaths. The samurai quickly followed him and the clone used his _Twilight_ and quickly drove the katana through the pale man's heart and removed the head of the tan man. Naruto burnt the two bodies before he went to check on his hostess and her son, Tsunami and Inari both thanked the clone and hugged him and that was when the clone dispelled leaving them alone.

"What is the meaning of this?" Tazuna's gruff voice cried in shock knocking Naruto out of his momentary introspection. Naruto watched indifferently as Tazuna kneeled down by one of the injured workers who muttered something Naruto did not care to hear. Kakashi had revealed his Sharingan and Kushina and readied herself as well. The untrained Genin all started to look around nervously while Naruto calmly readied _Twilight. _Naruto knew this would be a good test of his swordsmanship. A duel with any of the Ninja Swordsman of the Hidden Mist would be a good test to see how far he had come. Naruto and the rest of the Konoha nin watched as four figures came to in the mist. 'Arrogant fools…' Naruto thought seeing their intent for a head on collision.

"Well, well Sharingan no Kakashi it seems you were off about my death. Those eyes can't read the future but I can tell you your future. That future is a death at the end of my _Executioner's Blade_!" A man with no eye brows and his mouth covered in white bandaging stated firmly pointing his huge blade at Kakashi. Naruto knew from the sword alone that this man was the _Demon of the Hidden Mist_, Zabuza Momochi. Kakashi of course did not respond to the swordsman and just stared at the man. A second figure came out of the mist standing to Zabuza's right.

The man had blonde hair much like Narumi's hair and his face was hidden by a Kirigakure hunter shinobi mask. The man was twirling a large needle menacingly but everyone on the bridge knew that was no simple needle. This long sword was known as the Nuibari or the _Sewing Needle_. It was called such because of the thread in the base of the sword that was used to stitch together what the blade would pierce. Kushimaru was currently smirking as he stared at Kushina from behind his mask. "I owe you for that punch you gave me last time, bitch." Kushimaru finished in a shrill laughing that made Kushina frown at the maniacal blonde swordsman.

The next people to emerge where around Naruto's and the rest of the Genin's age one boy and the other a girl. The boy was at Naruto's height and had short blue hair and blue eyes placed behind a pair of glasses connected to ear protectors. He had blue pinstripes on his shirt and camouflage pants with a holster carrying a large blade. Naruto knew the blade; he made sure to know all famous blades. That sword was known as Hiramekarei often called a twin sword because of its shape. It had two indentations at the base creating a cross guard and was also extremely heavy. The hole and top of the blade would emanate the user's chakra coating the blade allowing the chakra to take any shape. The girl next to him did not draw any attention aside from the fact that she was in the full Kiri hunter nin suit.

"Naruto can you handle the boy with the blue hair?" Kakashi asked quietly still staring at Zabuza who was smirking behind his bandaging. Naruto did not reply he was too busy eyeing the blue haired boy who was squirming under Naruto's intense gaze. Kushina was about to repeat the question when suddenly there was a burst of air that blew from where Naruto was standing. Chojuro's eyes widened when he felt pain in his stomach and was launched to the far end of the bridge. No one was ready for Naruto's sudden burst of speed. Zabuza looked at Kakashi his brow ridge raised as he looked at the Hatake.

Kakashi looked over behind Zabuza's shoulder where Naruto and the blue haired boy where before they were surrounded by the mist. Kakashi focused back in on his opponent his Sharingan ready to trace any slight movements. "It doesn't matter who he is Zabuza. All that matters is that he is your enemy." Kakashi replied tersely as he waited for his opponent to strike. Zabuza frowned at Kakashi's answer clearly intrigued by the kid who managed to get so close to him so quickly. Zabuza wasn't too worried since he would have his fun with the brat after he dealt with the fabled Sharingan wielder.

Kushina who had to leap back to avoid having the Nuibari sew through her foot turned her attention to her Genin students seeing how on edge they were she shot them a disarming smile. "You four protect the bridge builder we will take care of these men." Kushina's voice though comforting was a firm order to her students. With her piece said Kushina launched towards Kushimaru before the mist got too thick and hampered her vision, from within the mist there numerous occasions where metal contacting medal rang out. Kushina managed to stop a few of Kushimaru's forward jabs with the standard Leaf tanto.

Zabuza brought his _Executioner's Blade_ down on Kakashi to cleave the Leaf Jounin in two pieces but only found the ground of the bridge. "Haku!" Zabuza barked out as Kakashi tried to put space between him and Zabuza. Not a moment later the girl who was dressed as a Kiri hunter nin appeared beside the shinobi. "I want you to take care of those kids then kill the bridge builder, do you understand." The young kunoichi uttered a quick affirmative and Shunshined to go do battle with the Genin. Kakashi wanted to help his students but Zabuza was having none of it as he used the reach of the large cleaver to his advantage.

Kakashi could feel the bridge material splinter under the force behind Zabuza's attack making the masked shinobi glad he evaded. Copying the chain of hand seals Zabuza was going through both shinobi launched a dragon of water at each other. The dragons were evenly matched and when they collided they soaked Zabuza and Kakashi. Rushing forward again Zabuza charged in with his cleaver over head and ready to strike. Fortunately Kakashi struck first by stabbing Zabuza in the heart just before the giant sword contacted his shoulder. _Zabuza_ turned into a puddle of water upon being stabbed by Kakashi's kunai. 'A water clone?'

Kushina too was having a difficult time with the blonde swordsman from the Village Hidden in the Mist. Kushina was trying to land a punch to the thin shinobi using her super strength that she learned from Tsunade, though not quite at the Sannin's level. However Kushimaru was excellent at avoiding strikes something he needed to be able to do since his weapon provided little defense. Kushina looked to the truly evil shinobi's hands and found them empty however she could not think on this development because there was something digging into her shins. Looking down the female Uzumaki spotted a shimmer break the veil of mist that surrounded the two ninja.

"**Chōtō Ninpō: Earth Spider Sewing!" **

Kushina created a shadow clone and had it throw her into the air avoiding having her knees being removed from her shins. Kushina watched as Kushimaru pulled on the thread and returned the needle to his grip for his next attack. Kushina dropped down but landed on top of the thin threads that Kushimaru spread throughout the space. 'Man I haven't been out in the field in so long. It is a good thing that I had Minato help me with my Wind Ninjutsu.' Kushina went through her hand seals at a very impressive pace for one who had not been on active duty for some time.

"**Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"**

Kushina's jutsu slammed into the blonde haired swordsman and knocked him back but also cleared up the battle field, effectively dispersing the mist. Kakashi joined back up with Kushina both of which were slightly winded for different reasons. Zabuza and Kushimaru also took this time to regroup with each other. Zabuza had cuts on his arms and across his torso from a few close exchanges with Kakashi's kunai. Kushimaru's mask was chipped at the jaw line revealing the man's angular chin. The wind jutsu Kushina had used had blown some thread that was loose up and cut Kushimaru. The battle had taken its toll on each combatant.

Kushina seeing a new opponent charged at the eyebrow deficient shinobi with her fist reared back to strike. Zabuza was questioning the sanity of the red haired woman until something told him to block the punch. Trusting his instinct the Kiri shinobi flipped his blade and blocked Kushina's chakra enhanced strike with the flat side of his _Executioner's Blade_. Zabuza felt the impact being absorbed by his forearms and felt that his blade would crack when it started to show small spider web like cracks. However the blade was crafted well enough to avoid from being shattered but another few strikes like that would surely destroy the blade.

'That was just ridiculous! If I let the blade take any more hits like that one I won't be able to fix the blade with blood. That only works when there is a piece of the weapon connected to the handle. Pieces on the ground just won't do!' Zabuza ranted in his mind as he grunted swinging his blade at Kushina forcing her to retreat momentarily. Creating three Mizu Bunshin Zabuza gave them silent orders to attack Kushina in a triangular formation. Zabuza watched on as his three water clones each converged on Kushina simultaneously with their replicas of the _Executioner's Blade_ rose over head and ready to strike.

"**Water Release: Spinning Water!"**

Just before the Zabuza clones could carve into her flesh Kushina began to spin in a clock-wise motion with her hand open. Not a moment later small specks of water spun with her steadily growing until the water formed a dome that was spinning and compact. The water quickly swallowed up the clones and the would be assault. The water continued to rotate violently until it dispersed revealing a glaring Kushina. 'Thank goodness that Hitomi-chan taught me the basic principles of the Kaiten before she passed on.' Kushina thought with a sense of relief as she pulled a few kunai from the holster on her thigh and coated them with water.

"**Chōtō Ninpō: Falling Threads!"**

Kakashi watched as the black wire like thread from the Nuibari fell towards him with great speed while covering a great area. Kakashi went through signs with his hands and suddenly a small concentrated ball of fire spewed out from under his mask and at the incoming threading. Unfortunately the ball of fire could not burn through the chakra enhanced thread which led to the scarecrow shinobi being sliced by the wires. Kushimaru let out a high pitched giggle seeing the shocked look in the eyes of the Sharingan shinobi. Kushimaru's celebrating was cut short as he received a strong shock. Surprised Kushimaru looked to see an electrical current traveling down the metal thread showing that _Kakashi_ was actually a lightning clone.

'A Raiton Kage Bunshin…' Kushimaru thought in surprise and clenched teeth the electrical current affecting his slender body. The strong current was making each of his muscles contract temporarily paralyzing the blonde shinobi. Kakashi who was sticking to the underside of the bridge until his clone was destroyed. Kakashi not wanting to waste any time gripped his wrist and started forming his personal assassination jutsu the lightning bolt cutter, _Raikiri_. Walking up to the immobile man Kakashi brought his arm back and thrusted the lightning bolt cutter forward towards the man's heart. Just before Kakashi could kill the shinobi Kakashi had to leap back as the Nuibari cut just under his Sharingan eye.

Kakashi wiped the blood from under his eye as he looked at Kushimaru who was giggling like a crazy man. Kakashi saw a thread tied around his wrist and that the _Sewing Needle_ was coming out of the bridge. Kakashi pieced together that he must have grounded the current and thus was allowed to move. Kakashi felt another presence appear next to him to see a slightly bleeding and winded Kushina. Zabuza joined Kushimaru repairing his blade with his own blood as Kushimaru cut the thread around his wrist with the Nuibari. The battle had taken its toll on each of the Jounin. The four Jounin level shinobi each looked over at the dome of ice mirrors with different expressions.

* * *

Narumi, Naomi and Sasuke were each looking at a different mirror of ice but the sight was the same, a girl dressed as a hunter nin. The Leaf Genin could not keep up with the speed Haku showcased by transferring mirrors. Each of the Leaf shinobi tried to hit the Kiri Hyoton user with their ninja tools with no success. They decided to leave Sakura out to protect Tazuna since she couldn't provide much in the way of help. Naomi tried to make a break to escape the dome of mirrors so she could attack from the outside of the structure. Haku quickly transported to the mirror closest to Naomi and punched the fellow kunoichi in the gut before tossing her back to the other Genin of Team Seven.

"There is no escape Konoha shinobi. I do not wish to kill you so I request that you hand over the bridge builder and you will leave with your lives." The feminine voice seemed to come from each direction only making the threat all the more real. Sasuke was mentally questioning how this girl was stronger than he was, he an Uchiha. He silently wondered how things would change if he had awakened his Sharingan. Narumi and Naomi were wondering if they could destroy the mirrors and break through the dome. The three Genin shared the same thought unknowingly and acted simultaneously facing opposite directions.

"**Fire Release: Grand Fireball!"**

"**Water Release: Water Javelin!"**

"**Wind Release: Dancing Blades!"**

In came the shouts of Sasuke, Narumi, and Naomi as they launched off their respective jutsu hoping to eliminate one of the mirrors trapping them. Sasuke's fire ball merely melted the corners of the mirror he targeted. Narumi's javelin consisting of water buried itself into the mirror across from her but instead of the mirror shattering the javelin fell apart. The ten wind blades cut the mirror Naomi targeted but the cuts were just superficial. The Konoha Genin could not believe that the damage was minimal at best. More so Sasuke since his jutsu was to have melted the creation of ice.

"Those levels of attacks will not break my ice. I am sorry that I have to do this but it is my mission and I can't fail Zabuza-sama." Haku released a pulse of chakra into her technique spreading it to the mirrors. The chakra given to each mirror instantly repaired the damage leaving the mirrors appearing as if they were brand new. Haku went to the mirror positioned above the Leaf Genin's heads and pulled out ten senbon needles coating them in ice. Crossing her arms over her chest holding a needle between each knuckle took aim at the clueless Team Seven.

"Hey Emo, I need you to provide the fire and I will use my wind to power it up! Got it?" Naomi demanded of the Uchiha glaring at one of the many reflections of Haku. Sasuke grunted slightly annoyed by the emo remark but decided it was best to focus on the threat before his eyes. Sasuke nodded and move next to Naomi as Narumi stood behind the two waiting for their collaboration attack to start. Haku who was over head had no intentions to let this happen because a wind enhanced fire jutsu would surely melt one of her mirrors.

"**Hyoton: Ice Needles of Death!"**

The ten needles were quickly launched at the Genin from above and before they could react more frozen senbon were launched at them from the left. Turning to the left Sasuke, Narumi and Naomi were assaulted by more frozen needles from behind, this continued for the following minutes. The three Genin were bleeding from cuts on their arms and legs with more needles sticking from them like a pincushion. It was thanks to the Kyuubi chakra that Narumi and Naomi were still conscious however Sasuke was not as lucky. Just when it seemed that the Namikaze-Uzumaki girls were about to defeated a large explosion drew the attention of all on the bridge.

* * *

**Prior to the explosion**

"You're good." That was the simple statement Naruto used as he locked his blade, _Twilight_ against Chojuro's much larger _Hiramekarei_. Both teens were sweating lightly since their battle up to this point was nothing but a duel of swords. Chojuro was in worst condition however due to the effort it took to wield the _Hiramekarei_. Both swordsmen had small lacerations marking their clothing but only a few of the cuts actually drew blood. Naruto eased up on his blade causing the unsuspecting Kiri shinobi to stumble forward leaving him open. Naruto took advantage and lashed out with a powerful kick to the gut. Chojuro tumbled to the ground from the force of the kick. Naruto stood there silently waiting for Chojuro to stand up since he had no desire to kill someone who could test his skills in the future.

"T-Thanks, you are pretty skilled yourself shinobi-san." Chojuro replied wiping some blood that was dripping from the corner of his mouth. Chojuro's blade flared to life with chakra as he swung the blade at Naruto who didn't have time to avoid it and had to stop it with _Twilight_. The blue glow from the _Hiramekarei _was only inches from the bang of black hair over Naruto's eye and inching closer. Soon the force was too much for Naruto to take and Naruto was launched backwards into a railing. Groaning Naruto shook the feelings back into his arm and shakily readied himself once more. 'He is incredible. He has managed to keep up with me to this point in swordsmanship and I am one of the _Seven Swordsmen of the Hidden Mist_. Can I win?'

Just when it seemed as if the blue haired boy's confidence was going to falter an image of a beautiful woman with red hair and a charming smile filled his mind. With his resolve strengthened Chojuro lifted his blade up again and tried cutting Naruto down, missing by the narrowest of margins cutting through the rail. Naruto sensing his opponent become more confident through his concise actions moved back to the center of bridge behind the other battles. 'He has gotten a lot more aggressive and energetic… What happened?' Naruto asked himself avoiding sword strikes from Chojuro backpedaling. Naruto suddenly saw Chojuro preparing something and quickly tensed himself.

"**Sōtō Ninpō: Hiramekarei Hammer!"**

Naruto watched as Chojuro's blade changed from a Twinsword into a bulkier much wider shape to fit what Chojuro was trying to do. The chakra started off as a light blue and constantly grew and grew until the chakra became dense and heavy. It was clear that holding that much chakra was physically taxing as the sweat poured from Chojuro's forehead. Chojuro with a war cry swung his sword down propelling the thick wall of chakra down on his black haired opponent. The sight of a huge wave of chakra would have unnerved any Genin fortunately Naruto was already preparing for something along those lines.

"**Kami no ken'nomai: Crossing Dimensions."**

Naruto who was preparing his move ever since Chojuro's blade had started to change its shape to what it was currently, Naruto acted quickly by slashing the air twice. The first time the slash left an arc of red energy floating in front of Naruto, the second slash left an arc of clear energy. The first slash felt incredibly hot as it started to compact itself into an orb as the second slash did the same with a light humming. This technique used Naruto's elemental chakra and compacted them making their destructive qualities much more concentrated. The white orb and the fiery red orb slammed into the chakra wall and the result was instantaneous.

_Boom_

The wind orb compressed and created a small vacuum sphere and the fiery red orb and combustion to the attack. Chojuro's wall of energy was also very volatile so the result was rather impressive a small blast of fire which no one on the bridge saw. Each battle on the bridge came to an end and they all stared at the large cloud of smoke surrounding the point of contact. Everyone stood silent as they waited to see who would step out of the smoke if anyone did. It took a few tense minutes for the smoke to clear away and reveal Naruto and Chojuro to the others. Both were on one knee using their respective blades to keep them up. Both boys' clothes were burned in various place from their proximity to the explosion. No one moved or said a word then a sound broke the eerie silence.

Clapping

* * *

Information:

**Chōtō Ninpō: **Longsword Ninja Art

**Sōtō Ninpō**: Twinsword Ninja Art

* * *

**Review Response: **Like I said last chapter the Sharingan and how Naruto awakened his will be explained when he awakens the Mangekyō. The grey chakra you see is what happens when Naruto pushes his chakra into _Twilight_. The red chakra was something Naruto was not aware he did. I was asked when Naruto said the last two if he knew of the world or just Konoha and the answer is just in Konoha. (Mikoto, Sasuke) Minato did not remind the village of Naruto's origins during his time away in fear of spies being within the populace however they will be reminded of this during the Chunin Exams. The crow techniques were indeed Genjutsu but I decided to have them be a summon because well I felt like it.

As for my technique names, I don't bother putting them in anything besides English unless the name is clear so no I don't have a translator. The pairing I am not quite sure to be honest. Maybe during the Chunin exams I'll open up on that subject a bit since that is where more characters will enter the story.

**AN: Sorry this one took a little longer but when I hit the 6,000 word mark I ran into a wall for some reason. Don't really know why… But here is the new chapter and thank you because I didn't see any flames which is good because it puts me in a much better mood. Also please read the review response section because it should answer your questions. Well read and review. Have a nice night! Ja Ne-Matt**


	4. New Players Enter the Game

**Disclaimer: This author still does not own the rights to anything in this story related to Naruto.**

**Don't forget to read the Review Response section at the end!**

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Naruto Uchiha: The Prophet with the Cursed Eyes

* * *

Clapping

That was the sound that pervaded the silent bridge, the sound of hands being brought together over and over. Naruto didn't bother in turning his head to take in the view the rest of the shinobi on the bridge had. Naruto's empty, blue eyes could see the surprise in the eyes of the Kiri team and the confusion in the Leaf's. Naruto could feel a large group of people coming closer to his back but then they stopped a few feet short of his position. The raven haired shinobi knew that whatever was behind him was something that was an unexpected variable to this situation.

The two teams of shinobi regrouped with their comrades, all of them aside from Naruto who was still relaxed in his spot. Zabuza looked downright furious as the killer intent rolled off of his muscular frame in spades. The potency of which unnerved both Haku and Chojuro as Kushimaru was looking on while twirling his _Sewing Needle_. "Gato what is the meaning of this!?" Zabuza demanded staring murderously at a short man dressed in a pinstripe suit with a really shabby cane in hand. This man was the shipping magnate, Gato who had been creating a number of monopolies in maritime trading. The suited midget was surrounded by hundreds of thugs each wearing a smug grin on their faces.

"Well… I realized that I am paying you Kiri shinobi way too much for the results you are giving me, especially when the _Demon of the Hidden Mist _comes back licking his wounds after a small skirmish. So I hired these fine gentlemen to finish you off after your battle saving me quite the lump sum of cash." Gato's said smugly his nasally voice grinded against the ears of the shinobi reminding them of nails on a chalkboard. The horde of thugs chuckled at the look of rage on Zabuza's face believing their superior numbers would win them this battle. Before Zabuza could retort a random thug spoke up from the front of the group.

"Hey guys let's hurry up and kill these idiots and take those women and have some fun!" The thug exclaimed eyeing Kushina, Narumi, Naomi and Haku lustfully. This exclamation got a round of agreeing opinions from the other men. Kushina snarled at the men as Haku, Narumi and Naomi squirmed uncomfortably. No one took note of how Naruto's eyebrow twitched hearing the scum's words. Naruto may not have liked his family one bit however there were a few things that he hated even more and that was rapists along with bigots. They spread unnecessary hate in the world corrupting it with their animalistic behavior.

Gato took one of his hands off of his cane and held his hand up in the air silencing the chatter coming from his hired goons. No one could see where his beady eyes were looking behind his sunglasses. Tapping his cane on the bridge Gato gazed at Naruto's back with a frown obviously not pleased that the boy had not even acknowledged him. "First I want you to kill the brat." Gato ordered his labor force pointing his cane at Naruto who just stood up. Team Seven, minus Sasuke and Sakura were ready to jump in and Zabuza and Haku looked ready to kill the slime ball themselves.

"You are nothing but a group of the blind being lead by the blind. For your ignorance I shall remove you from existence." Naruto's ominous statement froze everyone on the bridge dead in their tracks. Naruto looked over at the shinobi who were watching him carefully as he hoisted _Twilight_ up into the air, the metal glowing gray. Naruto quickly spun on his heels and slashed out diagonally throwing a diagonal wave of grey colored chakra with shimmers of a crimson energy imbedded in the traveling slash. Each shinobi on the bridge were left wide eyed seeing the energy slash rushing at Gato and his entourage, not believing Naruto could perform such a feat.

"**Kami no ken'nomai: Severance from the Material World."**

The wave of grey and flickering crimson energy traveled through the mass of people and the sight was not pretty on the eyes. Due to the angle of the attack the cuts were not clean through at the waist. Some of them men were missing arms some were cut diagonally creating two triangular shapes that when put together would make a whole piece. The one happening that really stuck out was the explosion of blood that shot into the atmosphere. The blood fell like rain over that section of the bridge, a truly awe inspiring yet gruesome sight. The other Genin all felt the need to empty their stomachs while Kushina and Kakashi looked indifferent to the scene of mass slaughter. Zabuza and Kushimaru who had his mask on were smiling because it reminded them of the _Bloody Mist _period in their village.

Naruto put _Twilight _back on the small of his back the charm floating from its chain as Naruto walked through the piles of random body pieces that were severed from his attack. 'So I was not seeing things when that crimson energy mixed with my chakra during my spar back in Konoha. I suppose I am subconsciously channeling miniscule amounts of the Kyuubi's chakra into my techniques.' Naruto mused walking through the field of gore stopping at the severed skull of the shipping magnate. With his glasses shattered Naruto could see the look of shock plastered on Gato's face just before he died. Shaking his head Naruto kicked the man's head off the bridge and into the roaring waves below.

Naruto walked towards the other end of the bridge where his team was looking at him with awe or at least the Genin were. Naruto walked past the Kiri team to get to them and saw the kunoichi looking at him like he was a riddle yet to be solved. As Naruto got even closer Haku blushed faintly when she got a clear look at Naruto's face which she thought to be handsome. Naruto saw the blush since Haku had taken off her mask but made no comment. As Naruto past her he whispered something that changed Haku's entire opinion on the young man. "Evil like that has no place in this world." Haku found herself nodding without even knowing she was doing it.

Naruto simply stood next to Tazuna with his eyes closed and without saying a word to his temporary team. Tazuna meanwhile was staring at Naruto with a tremendous amount of respect because with one swing he had freed _Nami no Kuni_ from its tyranny. Tazuna came to a conclusion that _The Great Naruto Bridge_ would be a wonderful name for the bridge. Kakashi stepped forward to meet Zabuza in the middle ground between the two teams. The two A ranked shinobi stared at each other wearily before Kakashi gave an eye smile and Zabuza a smirk. Zabuza stuck his hand out for a handshake.

"It was… _fun_ battling with you Kakashi Hatake however since our employer went back on the contract on and is dead we have no reason to continue fighting each other." Zabuza said shaking the scarecrow shinobi's hand. It was a thrill for Zabuza to cross paths with someone so skilled. Zabuza knew he was a battle thirsty man and had no problems admitting it to himself or anyone for that matter. Kakashi who shook the man's hand was glad that the fight was over since he wouldn't call the battle fun. He just wanted to go home and rest from this C turned A rank mission.

"Kakashi we aren't letting them go are we? They are our enemies; we need to finish what we started!" Sasuke voiced his opinion on the matter still seething over his defeat at the hands of the Ice Release kunoichi. Sakura who usually sided with the power hungry Uchiha did not agree with his sentiment this time. She was glad that all the fighting was over and had no desire to rekindle the conflict. The Namikaze-Uzumaki girls were just wondering how this was going to play out. Naruto opted to stand silently next to the bridge builder letting Sasuke's ignorance speak for itself.

"No Sasuke they are not our enemies, not any more. They simply accepted a mission just like we accepted the mission to protect Tazuna-san. Now that their mission has been voided we no longer have any problems with Kiri." It was Kushina who explained the situation to Sasuke who looked none too pleased with the explanation given. 'Though that does not mean we are on friendly terms with the _Hidden Mist_. It seems that report that the rebel forces had acquired the Seven Swordsmen's' help in the civil war were true. If they are accepting missions then that must mean the war is over and that means there will be a lot of animosity between the Leaf and Mist because we did not aid them. We were lucky we ran into Zabuza and not someone more interested in politics.'

Kakashi nodded his head agreeing with Kushina's assessment of the situation the two teams of shinobi found themselves in. After returning the handshake Team Seven, Naruto and Tazuna walked back towards Tazuna's home leaving the Kiri shinobi to walk in the opposite direction. It took the following week for repairs to be made to the preexisting infrastructure of the bridge as well as the completion of the bridge. During that week Naruto made sure to keep himself as scarce as possible as to avoid the conversations his so called family would no doubt wish for however it was not something he wished to have, it would be useless.

Team Seven and Naruto stood at the end of the now completed bridge facing down the citizens of Nami no Kuni. The mood was festive and with good reason because years of tyranny under the oppressive rule of Gato had finally come to an end. Naruto who standing on the main land watched on as his team conversed with Tazuna and his family. Seeing the talks were coming to an end Naruto turned around and began the walk towards Konoha without saying a word. Naruto did not feel the need to say anything he was not their hero and he had no desire to be either but he couldn't shake the weird feeling that it was too late for that. Team Seven realizing that Naruto had already gone on ahead hurried on to close the distance.

"Father what are we going to name the bridge?" Tsunami asked her father after watching Team Seven and Naruto fade from her vision. The rest of the citizens leaned in also wanting to know what the name of the bridge that would return their home to prosperity would be.

"We are going to name it after the kid who saved this country with a single slash of his of his sword. We will call it _The Great Naruto Bridge_."

* * *

Naruto was sitting on the railing right outside of his small apartment inside of the _Red Light District_ enjoying the peace of the village when it was quiet. The sun was setting and the people were getting ready to retire and have dinner with their families. From this perspective Naruto was truly reminded what the village was. The Village Hidden in the Leaves was a beautiful place that just so happened to have terrible people living in it. However that was a necessary evil for the village to maintain itself. Naruto reached behind him and angled _Twilight _in a way so it would reflect the orange rays of light from the setting sun. 'This world is equal parts shadows and light and this village is no different.'

Naruto found that his apartment was one of the nicest places in the village and it was located in the heart of the _Red Light District_. They apartment was abandoned for reasons Naruto cared not to know and it was in complete disarray but a few sealing arrays solved that. Apparently no one wanted the apartment complex and that was fine. It was thanks to that, that Naruto could find peace here. Naruto would have taken to watching the village from atop the Hokage Monument but he found it to be too close to the Namikaze compound so that was immediately off his list.

Naruto sighed softly closing his eyes allowing the orange glow of the falling sun to bathe his seated form. Taking _Twilight_ and placing on his back Naruto looked behind him and was looking at the porcelain ANBU mask of agent Sparrow. He had sensed the man the second he entered the small block and was waiting for whatever it was he had to say. The man must have picked up on this because as soon as he had Naruto's eye he was ready to speak. "Hokage-sama requests that you visit him at the Namikaze Compound." Even though he said request Naruto knew that it wasn't a request this was an order from his Kage.

'All I need to do his think of his home and the man requires my presence. I swear Kami you must take some sick pleasure in seeing me in misery.' Naruto mentally addressed the Deity of Creation with a narrowed glance at the sky. Naruto stood on the railing and glanced over his shoulder to see that the ANBU operative had already taken his leave. Naruto closed his eyes and his body soon broke into a number of crows that flew towards the Hokage Monument. It only took a few moments for the crows to converge on the head of Hiruzen Sarutobi and Naruto to form. Naruto took his time walking through the woods that provided the natural cover for what he once called home.

Naruto walked through the forest with his hands inside of the pockets of his grey zipped up vest and hood over his head creating a shadow over his face. Naruto saw the gate to the compound was already open no doubt for his arrival. Naruto walked down the path and could see that the front door was open and there was some talking he heard from inside. Naruto was only a few steps from having to face the unfortunate music when he heard a loud snort coming from his mind. Naruto just realized that the Kyuubi had been silent during the whole time in Wave after their connection was made. 'Hello Kyuubi.'

The Kyuubi's eyes slowly opened up hearing the voice of his pseudo-container's voice for the first time. This told him that the connection they had created was successful and fully operational. The Kyuubi could feel the contempt rolling off of Naruto in waves and was curious as to why. It only took the Kyuubi a few moments to realize why since he picked up the signature of that despicable man who sealed him away again. **"What is going on? Why are we here, Ningen?" **The Kyuubi just waking up was in no mood for the foolish human pleasantries and wanted to know what was happening.

Naruto let out the quietest of sighs as he walked up the steps to his one time home listening as the voices got louder and clearer. 'That man has requested my presence here as the Hokage so I have no choice. It seems like they are trying to bring me back into the family… the fools. It looks like you will get a free show Kyuubi, enjoy.'Naruto went silent and walked into the house taking a few steps in Naruto was greeted by Minato and Kushina sitting on one couch with Kakashi standing behind their couch. Naomi and Narumi were also sitting on a couch looking at him hopefully. Naruto almost frowned when he realized that Jiraiya and Tsunade had positioned themselves behind him.

Jiraiya of the Sannin was the fabled Toad Sage of Mount Myobokuzan, a man whose name alone was to strike fear into the enemies of Konoha and respect in the hears of Konoha shinobi. He was one of the reasons Konoha was always one step ahead of the other Hidden Villages, him and his extensive spy network. He was also a renowned as a teacher since his student had become the most powerful shinobi in this era. The other figure behind him was Tsunade also a member of the Sannin. She was a legendary medic as well as a kunoichi who had saved many lives during the wars and the current head of the hospital in Konoha. Both of these people were supposed to act as his godparents but shirked on their responsibilities.

"Hello Naruto…" It was Minato that spoke first trying to break the tension that had flooded the room from Naruto's arrival. Any conversation that was being had was immediately quelled when Naruto entered the compound and replace by a silent intensity. Naruto's body language gave nothing away as he stared at Minato since he had spoken. He was ignoring the sad expressions on the faces of his so called family. He was asked here by Minato so he would let him do the speaking. Minato's sad smile grew a bit more seeing how his son was looking at him like nothing more than a stranger.

Kushina being the more blunt and exuberant of the two could not take the silence anymore and blurted out the reason for Naruto's presence. "Naru-kun please come live with us so that we can become a family again!" Naruto turned his head to look at the red haired Uzumaki who had just uttered a desperate plea. Naruto saw how the expressions of his family lifted probably from the thought of returning to a family. Naruto remained stoic and brought his arms over his chest one blue eye hidden by his black hair and the other boring into Kushina with a cold intensity.

Naruto did not even need to think about how he was going to respond to his _mother's_ question because the answer was clear as can be to him. "No."

Everyone in the room stared at Naruto with different expressions on their face but they didn't expect a one word answer. Any hope that the family was feeling was instantly squashed under Naruto's blank, emotionless tone. Naruto could feel the two Sannin behind him frowning deeply at his words but did not care. To Naruto no one in the building at the moment had any significant value to him. Naruto felt a sudden wave of killer intent coming from behind him and saw Jiraiya move to stand by Kakashi looking quite pale. It didn't take a genius to figure out where it was coming from.

Behind Naruto stood a very angry female Senju who was trying her best to restrain herself from making Naruto a stain at the end of her fist. The brat in front of her had a family practically begging him to come back home and he said no. Tsunade thought about how lucky Naruto had it, after losing her brother and lover in war she was denied that chance by death but he had a chance and said no. "Listen here brat you are going to come back and live with Minato and Kushina-chan and then you are going to give your mother a hug. Stop acting like a spoiled brat and do the right thing and live with your family."

Naruto closed his eyes and took a few calming breaths lest he let his Sharingan activate from the sheer intensity of the anger he was feeling. The Kyuubi could feel the amount of contempt that Naruto had whenever he was said to related to what was considered the perfect family. Calming himself Naruto opened his eyes and looked straight ahead seemingly at nowhere. "Family… family is a group of people who love you no matter what you have done. They love you no matter what faults you may have and will always be there to protect you. That is something theses people in front of me did not do. They did the opposite and threw me to the scorned wolves of Konoha who sought revenge for the lives the Kyuubi took. Night after night I was abused and spat on. Day after day I was ignored and punished by those two for seeking the attention they lavished their princesses with!" Naruto almost spat out his entire speech not bothering to glance back at Tsunade.

"You are telling me to do the right thing Tsunade? Which of you were doing the right thing when the _Fox Hunts_ were tearing through the streets of Konoha? My own blood ignored my pleas for help; my godparents were too busy keeping the village who were trying to kill me on a daily basis alive and well. That is the reason I curse this blood flowing through my veins because every single day I am reminded that I am related to such trash! The only reason I am not insane is thanks to the few people who listened a young boy screaming for help and lent a hand instead of plugging their ears and walking away like you all did." Only a few times had Naruto let his emotions slip during the truthful rant he rattled off. Kushina, Naomi and Narumi were openly weeping at what Naruto was saying. Minato, Jiraiya, and Kakashi were frowning somberly since they knew Naruto was not lying. Tsunade was still livid with the disrespectful brat who she thought was just using that as an excuse.

"Now, now Naruto surely you could forgive Minato-sama and Kushina-sama for overlooking you like they did. They had a lot of things they had to deal with and were doing the best they could. You still had a home and food to come to…they still cared." Kakashi tried to help Naruto see reason and hopefully bring Naruto back since he too wanted to train who was supposed to be like a little brother to him. Kakashi was not even reading his Icha Icha book showing just how serious the situation was. Naruto's cold blue eyes stared holes through Kakashi with a silent intensity.

"Yes there was something more important than their son. I always thought a Father was supposed to protect their son while Mothers were supposed to shower them with love. I received none of that, not from _them_. It is funny this is coming from you of all people _Scarecrow_. Was it not your saying that 'In the ninja world, those who break the rules are trash, that's true, but those who abandon their comrades are worse than trash.' Well you all abandoned me." Naruto turned to look at Narumi who was looking at him with a forced smile and watery eyes.

"On the day I chose to make my life better was the day of our birth yet I had no importance on that day. I left and no one noticed until they found the letter I left in my excuse of a room. There was one person who made an effort even if it was late…" Naruto reached behind him and pulled out _Twilight_ and held it so that the ornament that consisted of two kunais that crossed over each other at their tips was lying on his palm for all to see. The one kunai on the left was a pure white while the kunai on the right was a jet black. Under the kunai was a red Uzumaki swirl that was connected to the loops on the kunai handles. The initials U.N. were etched into the Uzumaki swirl in black and white to match the kunais above.

"…this is the reason I will talk with Narumi in public or on missions however she is the only one. The only one who had proven to be truly remorseful before my disappearance. This doesn't mean we are family but this means we are something." Naruto himself wasn't sure what they could be or if they would be anything. He needed to get out of this place now and needed time to think. Turning around after fastening _Twilight_ back in place Naruto took a step towards Tsunade who was still in front of the door when he felt someone gripping his shoulder.

"Naruto this is my fault. It was thanks to me that your parents neglected you all so we could help nurture the Savior of the World. The toads have told me of a prophecy long ago and I thought it was one of your sisters who were to be the savior yet the prophecy has changed. The toads have told me of a prophecy of a man-" Jiraiya was cut off as Naruto brushed his hand off of the shoulder and turned around with his eyes closed.

"I can see just fine with these eyes of mine _Toad_ and it shows me the brutal truth that we as humans hide behind." Naruto said ominously with his eyes shut very telling of what he was thinking of the shinobi world. 'Kyuubi can you channel your chakra to my eyes just enough to alter them?' Naruto requested calmly of his tenant. The Kyuubi did as he asked and Naruto opened his eyes showing the blue eyes red and slit much like the Kyuubi's own. Jiraiya winced at the sight and released Naruto's shoulder. Naruto turned to see the stubborn female Senju still in his way.

Minato who saw the anger in the bestial eyes of his son frowned at his own failure to be a father. Vowing to himself to try and make amends with Naruto at any opportunity if only so he could maybe call Naruto a friend at least, that was his hope. Minato saw Tsunade still in Naruto's path and hardened his blue eyes to match what Naruto would normally look like. "Tsunade stand down!" Minato ordered the Senju who looked at him defiantly clearly not happy with the order her eyes glancing over to Kushina who was giving her the same look as Minato.

"I said stand down now!" Minato repeated himself flaring his chakra to put an immense pressure directly on Tsunade who began to sweat lightly. It was just a reminder why Minato Namikaze was even more feared than the Sannin. Relenting Tsunade moved aside and Naruto walked out of the house without saying a word to anyone. Everyone in the room had their own thoughts about what had just happened. The Namikaze-Uzumaki family and Kakashi all saw that there was a flicker of hope for a united family. Jiraiya was pondering how Naruto referenced his eyes during their brief interaction and that reaffirmed his belief that the prophecy spoke of Naruto. Tsunade was slowly calming down but had a clear distaste for the eldest son of the family.

Meanwhile the Kyuubi was thinking about what just happened between his container and his family. **'Why did I give him my chakra so freely back there? Even if it wasn't for power's sake I still gave it away… why? Hmph, I did it to see the fear in those Ningens' faces at the sight of my eyes! That's why!'** Even unknown to the powerful chakra beast he had something akin to respect for the scorned child of the Hokage. It was something the Kyuubi had never felt before since the Sage of Six Paths and had forgotten what it was but it was there.

* * *

It had been a handful of months since Naruto had returned to the Village Hidden in the Leaves and Naruto made himself as busy as possible. Naruto had accomplished an impressive number of D-Rank missions during that time. The easiest was when he was assigned to capture _The Demon Cat _Tora who had just jumped into Naruto's arms and got comfortable when he had approached. He had done this mission a number of times and apparently the cat had taken a liking to Naruto not that he minded all that much. Naruto had realized that animals just naturally drifted to him when he was called to the Inuzuka compound to assist Hana with taking care of the sick or injured ninja hounds. All the pups seemed to react to Naruto's presence; it was like the animals could see right through Naruto's outer cold façade to the warmth underneath.

Naruto since he did not have a team usually had to take the C-Rank missions with the other Genin teams which were unique experiences to say the least. Naruto was assigned to Team Eight to travel to the Land of Tea to deliver a message. The delivery was not a problem but once they got to their destination they found out some unexpected news. Apparently a group of bandits had been terrorizing the country side and requested their help. Team Eight agreed to help people in need and Naruto just didn't care one way or the other. He was no hero… just a shinobi.

Naruto was able to gather some information on each Genin member of the team led by Kurenai just by being on their team. Kiba was the second in line to become heir to the Inuzuka, second to Hana. The boy was brash, headstrong and had a tendency to overestimate his own ability while underestimating his opponent's ability. His entire fighting style revolved around partnering with his ninja hound Akamaru with no skill shown towards elemental Ninjutsu. Hinata was the Hyuga heiress who was the opposite of Kiba she was meek and very, very reserved. Though Naruto was able to deduce that she had a crush on Naomi which made Naruto's lips curl into a smile thinking of Naomi and a fan girl. Hinata too relied on her clan jutsu. Shino was the Aburame clan heir who too showed no talent for elemental Ninjutsu like his teammates however Shino did think much like a shinobi should, he was calm and tactical.

Naruto worked with Team Ten on a simple herb and medical supply gathering mission on the request of Tsunade. The mission went on without a hitch but that proved to be curse in disguise for Naruto. With all of the time they had while searching Ino took it upon herself to get to know Naruto better. This of course consisted of flirting with Naruto who Ino found handsome which Naruto found annoying to say the least. When Shikamaru mentioned Sasuke Ino would snap at the lazy Nara saying how she would always love _her Sasuke-kun_. Naruto knew that if he was ever to get a girlfriend it would not be a fan girl, never.

Shikamaru was one of the few people from his childhood around his age that took the time to get to know Naruto so they were friendly enough. Shikamaru like every Nara who seemed to ever live was lazy but a genius. Naruto knew that when the situation called for it Shikamaru became deadly efficient and could be counted on. Where Shikamaru was lazy his friend and teammate, Choji was equal parts kind and hungry. Naruto also made note that out of all of the teams he had the opportunity to work with Team Ten had the best teamwork. Choji was the close quarter's fighter with Shikamaru switching between long-range and close range with Ino providing support.

He had not worked with Team Nine however he was aware that their sensei was the _Leaf's Noble Green _Beast Maito Gai. By far his least favorite team to work with was Team Seven because of the terrible dynamic the team had together. Kushina and Naomi were always trying to pull him back into their family while Sasuke was trying to fight him. Then there was the worst aspect of the team was Sakura who had the nasty habit of screeching like a banshee. It was so bad that even the Kyuubi thought it was cruel and unusual punishment to have to listen to.

Naruto was walking by the main gate of Konoha when he caught a sight that intrigued the young man. A team of shinobi and their sensei were talking to the eternal gate guards and showing them their shinobi licenses. The team was all wearing Iwa headbands which made Naruto wonder what was going on. 'Why is Iwa here? They wouldn't be caught dead here in Konoha unless there was a chance to tarnish the village. Oh…right Mihawk-sensei did tell me about the Chunin Exams. Looks like I need to have another talk with the Hokage about this since I can't miss this chance to reveal myself on the grand stage.'

The kunoichi who was walking at the front of the group was wearing a bright brown Iwa flak jacket with the right sleeve missing from the jacket. There was a cloth hanging over her leg which she covered with fishnet tights. The Iwa kunoichi had short black hair and pink eyes that were lacking a pupil. Trailing slightly behind the kunoichi and to the left was a rather large shinobi who was smiling dopily. His headband was over his head like a bandana where Naruto spotted black hair spiking out of. He too was dressed with an Iwa flak jacket but had a yellow scarf around his neck. To his right was another kunoichi which Naruto was the most curious about. The kunoichi was wearing a diver's helmet with a steel cage over the opening the helmet. Naruto could see her grey eyes looking around the village walking silently behind her teammates. Naruto noticed how there were tubes going to each end of the helmet and Naruto could see a green substance going into the helmet which made him even more interested in the kunoichi. Naruto could see that she was attractive with her face and as her flak did little to hide her D cup bust; Naruto's eyes met hers and she smiled and winked at Naruto which only confused him.

Seeing the Iwa team gone in the distance Naruto let out a dreary sigh and looked up into the sky almost pleadingly. 'I hope you are ready to see me suffer once more Kami.' Naruto stated to the sky mentally and just then a wind blew by blowing Naruto's bang with the direction of the wind. Naruto just silently cursed the forces of nature for laughing at his plight before disappearing in a _Crow Shunshin_.

* * *

Minato was sitting behind his desk reading over the details for each stage of the upcoming Chunin Exams and making changes where he thought there should be changes. Finishing with the first stage Minato suddenly felt a signature entering his office followed by swarm of crows. Minato closed up the file he was about to go over and calmly waited for his son to finish his entrance, one he experienced a number of times since his return. Minato had a feeling he knew what this was about but he would let Naruto say what it was he wanted to say.

Naruto brought his arms up over his chest and stared at Minato intently his deep oceanic eyes boring into Minato's lighter blue eyes. A number of ANBU were squirming in the shadows from the intensity alone between the father and son. "I will be short with this. I want you to enter me into the Chunin Exams." Naruto stated calmly looking at the Hokage stoically with a few feathers from his crows twirling around him from the breeze coming through an open window behind Minato. Minato nodded inwardly since this was just what he expected Naruto to ask him to do.

"I can't do that Naruto. You are just one shinobi and you need a team to compete in these exams." Minato informed his son in the tone the Hokage would use when he was talking to a subordinate. What Naruto's file showed was a shinobi with excellent fundamentals and exceptional swordsmanship but nothing else however Minato was not fooled he was sure if Naruto was to compete in the exams he would learn much more about Naruto. He just didn't know how right he was and how much he would learn. Naruto simply stared at Minato with one black eyebrow arched in idle curiosity.

"I am a team just like Team Seven is a team. I do not recall that there were a specific number of people required to participate and even if there was you are the Kage of the hosting village you have certain liberties." Naruto stated calmly his posture not once shifting from the calm and slightly imposing stature he took. Now it was not imposing for Minato but his son did seem to have the air of a trained warrior. Minato let a smile cross his face since what Naruto was saying was indeed true, there were no number requirements. He knew Naruto would make a fantastic politician.

Naruto's eyes shot to the left where the door was behind him before he turned back to look at the Hokage. "It seems we will be cut short. I have given you my request and it would be in the best interest of Konoha to grant me my request." With his piece said Naruto performed a normal body flicker and exited the Hokage's office just before the door opened up and five shinobi walked in. Those shinobi were the senseis of the rookie ninja of Konoha: Kushina, Kakashi, Asuma, and Kurenai. There was also the sensei of Team Nine Maito Guy.

"You all know why I have called you here today. The Chunin exams will be coming up in a few weeks but these are no ordinary exams this will be the 30th International Chunin Exams. I know you may think that some of your teams aren't ready but we need them in the exams but I still need your formal approval." Minato stated his jaw hidden behind his interlaced fingers getting understanding nods from the Jounin in front of him. It was important that Konoha put on a good showing especially with each of the Five Great Hidden Villages attending these exams.

"On the name of Kushina Namikaze-Uzumaki, I nominate Team Seven for the 30th International Chunin Exams."

Kakashi looked up from his little, orange book feeling the eyes in the room on him and eye smiled at his former Sensei. "What she said." Kakashi stated before going back to his Icha Icha getting sweat drops from his fellow Jounin as well as Minato and a rant from Gai about his hip attitude.

"I Kurenai Yuhi nominate Team Eight for the 30th International Chunin Exams."

"Yosh! I Maito Guy nominate my most youthful Team Nine for this year's opportunity to prove one's springtime of youth!"

Asuma stepped out and blew out some smoke. "I Asuma Sarutobi nominate Team Eight for the 30th international Chunin Exams."

Minato nodded his head and leaned into his chair smiling at his wife and Jounin obviously glad there were no arguments. "Alright you all need to go and tell your teams and convince them if they are hesitant." With a collective 'Hai Hokage-sama' the Jounin all funneled out of the office door. Minato turned to the window where he found his Sensei sitting on the window ledge looking out into the village. "What do you think Jiraiya-sensei should I let him take the exam alone." Minato asked his teacher hoping for a bit of advice on the matter all though he was already leaning in one direction.

"I think you should let him take the exam. He sounded very confident in himself and this is finally the chance you have been looking for to learn the extent of his abilities. Plus it wouldn't look good if your son was to not compete in a tournament of this caliber." Jiraiya said seriously as he jumped into the office and took a seat across from his former student and current Kage. Minato smiled at his sensei and nodded his head since he too was of the same mind with what could be accomplished by allowing Naruto in the exams.

"That is what I was thinking as well. Neko I want you to go and inform Naruto that he will be taking the Exams and inform him where he must be and by when." Minato could see Neko leaving his office and looked back at his Sensei. "Jiraiya-sensei I need you to stay in the village because during the final stage of the exams the Kages will be attending and I want to make sure Konoha will remain in peace." Minato said it as more of an order than a request but none the less Jiraiya nodded his head in agreement. The two then went into a discussion about how best to defend the village.

* * *

Naruto was walking down the streets of Konoha to get to a training ground so that he could run through a few sword stances as well as train with his clones. It had been a week since he was informed of his acceptance into the Chunin Exams and there was still another ten days until the Exams were to start. Naruto knew that his foolish _Father_ would not pass up a chance to see what he was capable of. This also gave Naruto his chance to test himself against a number of different opponents who would provide different problems. Naruto did not really care about impressing anyone but he knew a good performance would help Konoha but he planned to win the Exams regardless.

While walking down the street Naruto heard some loud commotion coming from the end of the street next to him. Naruto turned his vision to see what was going on that was causing such a ruckus in the public area. One of the causes of the noise was dark skinned, flat chested kunoichi with long red hair and a sword on her back. She had a long sleeve dress on underneath a Kumo flak jacket. The other person joining her in creating all of the noise was a shinobi from Suna who was wearing a body suit that had cat ears. Despite being a boy Naruto saw he was wearing makeup and had something on his back. Naruto recognized the boy they were yelling at as Konohamaru Sarutobi.

There was a girl standing behind the boy wearing makeup she had a large iron fan strapped to her back. She had a purple clothing garment that went down halfway to her thighs and her blonde hair was fashioned into four ponytails. Behind the Kumo kunoichi stood three people, Naruto guessed it was her team. The first was a dark skinned shinobi about Naruto's height with short, spiky white hair. He too was dressed in the Kumo flak with a sword on his back but was looking at Konohamaru with an apologetic look while sucking on a lollipop. Next to him was a fair skinned kunoichi with short, straight blonde hair. She was wearing her Kumo flak around her stomach and had her outfit cut to display her sizeable bust probably to distract enemies who would fall prey to such a thing.

Naruto's eyes narrowed in on the final member of the Kumo shinobi team; there was something that seemed familiar about her. She had long, straight blonde hair that was bound using rubber bands. She was wearing a black and purple blouse with short sleeves and cloud design on the left side. She had fingerless gloves with a chain of blue beads around her left hand and arm. The black shinobi pants the kunoichi was wearing also had the cloud design going down the left leg, though Naruto really took notice of her blue, slitted eyes that were currently filled with annoyance.

'What is it about that kunoichi that makes her seem so familiar to me…like I have known her forever?' Naruto questioned himself unaware that the Kyuubi was up and listening to his container. **"Ningen that human carries my sister the Two Tails. That is why she seems so familiar to your senses." **Naruto nodded his head and looked back at Konohamaru who looked very frightened along with two other small kids who were behind him. Naruto channeled his chakra into his ears to allow him to pick up on what they were saying without walking into their field of awareness this way he could get their intentions without any external pressure.

"Listen here Kumo, the brat ran into me first so I am the one who is going to get to teach the Konoha brat here some manners!" The boy wearing the cat body suit told the red head rather heatedly. Naruto could see a few veins bulging on the boy's forehead showing just how angry he was.

"Kankuro just let it go. We don't need to go causing any trouble here in a foreign village." The boy's sister Temari tried to get the Suna puppeteer to see reason and avoid an international incident. One Suna could not have especially not with their only ally.

"Why would a boy even be wearing makeup, don't you have any kind of masculinity inside of you, _Kuro-hime_?" The red headed kunoichi from Kumo taunted the Suna shinobi while her hand went to reach for her sword eyeing Konohamaru. Ignoring the shout of 'It's war paint' from Kankuro, Karui's amber eyes flickered dangerously. "Now then why don't we shave off a few inches off eh brat?"

The white haired shinobi, Omoi started to wave his hands around frantically trying to get Karui's attention before she attacked the boy. "Karui what if you hurt the boy then the Third Hokage goes to Kumo and shows why he is the _God of Shinobi_ and kills A-sama. The Bee-sensei attacks and kills the Third Hokage and we go to war with Konoha and the _Yellow Flash_?" Omoi finished taking a deep breath using his tongue to keep his loli from falling out of his mouth. This got sighs from his team and sweat drops from the Suna shinobi. Konohamaru was just scared by the sword being pointed at him.

'Well I guess it is time to go strike some fear into the competition and show them why they need to behave in my village. Kyuubi will they identify me or those other two as the Jinchuuriki?' Naruto waited for the Kyuubi to respond as he heard what he guessed was random noises the Kyuubi was making while contemplating his question. **"I would say that they would see the container as you since they can only sense the chakra in the person who holds the consciousness." **Naruto did his single hand sign and performed a nature less Body Flicker in front of Konohamaru.

"You know he is right. Since you two shinobi were just planning on assaulting the Third's grandson and here in Konoha none the less. Not to mention he is only an academy student." Naruto said suddenly appearing between Kankuro, Karui and Konohamaru with his katana, _Twilight_ drawn. Naruto's sudden arrival put all of the foreign nin on high alert since Naruto had only just appeared and with a weapon drawn. "I wouldn't do that if I were you… it would prove fatal." Naruto added on seeing that each of six shinobi were ready to try and get into a fighting stance. This confused the teams from Suna and Kumo that was until they looked.

Behind each of them with a katana aimed at a vital area was an equally serious shadow clone of Naruto. There was even a shadow clone looking up into a tree while leaning against the trunk surprising the shinobi in the tree. While they were busy with the shock of being surrounded Naruto turned back to look at Konohamaru with a small grin on his face. "Kono, why don't you and your friends get out of here while I deal with these idiots?" Konohamaru's face lit up and he nodded since only one person had ever called him that and that was Naruto who he didn't recognize till just now. Konohamaru and his friends took off the opposite direction and Naruto turned back around to see another Suna shinobi was standing with the group. He had red hair and the kanji for love over his eye.

"My name is Gaara Sabaku. Who are you?" The red head carrying a gourd on his back asked wondering just who this strong shinobi in front of him was. This was a sentiment shared by the other Suna Genin and the Kumo Nin. Naruto stared indifferently at Gaara which made the boy's eyes narrow at Naruto since it reminded him of his childhood. **"Blood, I want his blood!" **Gaara chose to ignore his _Mother_ this time…for now at least.

'Nibi just who is this guy?' Yugito asked her own Tailed Beast curiously since it seemed like he was familiar to her. **"Hmm I don't know Kitten but I do know he holds the Kyuubi's chakra inside of him. I believe he is suppressing it but that is only because it is so faint."** ** '**The Kyuubi!? Great and Karui just had to go and annoy the guy.' Yugito thought as she looked at Naruto much more wearily than just moments before. Naruto looked at Gaara as his shadow clones disappeared in small clouds of smoke letting the other shinobi minus Gaara breathe a sigh of relief.

"My name is Naruto and let me give you all a saying that applies during your entire stay here in Konoha." Naruto said with a fake smile on his face as he released some of his own power that weighed down on the shoulders of each of the Genin. There was no malicious intent behind the pressure it was just pressure. Each of the Genin had a bead of sweat trickle down their foreheads. "I know that two of you are Jinchuurikis so I will only say this once. A Tanuki cannot play dead to avoid a Kitsune and the Cat cannot scratch the Fox in its den." With that Naruto vanished in another Shunshin leaving the groups minus the Jinchuuriki wide eyed.

"**Kitten did you feel that?! That was just his power forcing you down there was no sign of the Kyuubi's chakra! He is quite powerful! You should take him to your hotel room and ride-" **The Nibi's lustful purring was cut off by a blushing Yugito who was trying to hide the red in her cheeks. 'Nibi I won't just take him and have sex with him! I do not even know his name or anything about him!' Yugito mentally yelled at her perverted Tailed Beast finally managing to push back that annoying blush on her cheeks from the mental images of Naruto and her doing unspeakable things coming from Nibi.

"Temari, Kankuro we are going to meet Baki." Gaara ordered his two elder siblings who complied without hesitation. The Kumo shinobi all shared a glance and agreed it was best for them to avoid Naruto during the Exams if they could help it. Then they too left to go and meet their eccentric sensei and inform him of the situation they found themselves in.

* * *

Naruto was sitting on his bed in a meditative position in just his shinobi pants eyes closed as the room slowly grew dim from the lighting seals placed on the walls. Naruto was currently sitting in his mindscape having a conversation with his resident tailed beast. "Tell me Kyuubi who should I look out for out there?" Naruto asked seeking the large Kitsune's advice on the matter since it would be foolish not to use a thousand plus year old resource. The Kyuubi who was resting on his front two paws looked at Naruto as if he was an insect but in the end relented.

"**Nibi probably advised her container to avoid challenging me since she was always a smart one unlike that fool the Four Tails. Anyways if I had to guess you would probably need to beat down that sand brat since Shukaku was always a blood thirsty fool with an inferiority complex. The only place he could prove to be a true threat would be in the desert where he has tons of sand at his command." **The Kyuubi told Naruto who was listening intently to the Kyuubi's informative closed his eyes and opened them up showing his three tomoe Sharingan. It turns out that in the Mindscape they would activate on their own much to the Kyuubi's ire but he eventually accepted that since Naruto proved to have no desire to control him.

"Alright so then Gaara will most likely be using sand based techniques. He will probably have the sand in that gourd he was carrying on his back. That means he has a fixed amount of sand at his command." Naruto said to himself just for the sake of having the information in his head in case of a conflict between he and his fellow _Human Sacrifice_. "Can you tell me anything about the Nibi? I mean we wouldn't want to be bested by any the inferior beasts would we?" Naruto asked playing on the Kyuubi's great pride something he shared with the Kyuubi since he did not like to appear weak either.

The Kyuubi's eyes narrowed at Naruto before his large mouth opened up with a very vulpine like grin showing his large, gleaming teeth. The one tail the Kyuubi had gotten back was flickering back and forth with amusement. **"Of course neither of those two is as strong as I am Ningen! I am the Kyuubi; I am the Incantation of Destruction! I have not done combat with the Nibi in ages since she has priorities in other things but I do remember her affinity to fire was second only to mine." **Naruto nodded his head but it seemed like the Kyuubi had one last nugget of information to add on to this discussion.

"**I also remember hearing when I was sealed inside of that woman that the Eight Tails had become partners with a human from Kumo. It would make sense that he would have taught the girl to partner with Nibi. Shukaku wouldn't have paired with the Suna brat so you won't have to worry about that."** The Kyuubi chose not to call Kushina, Naruto's mother remembering how volatile Naruto would get. That and he had no wish to test Naruto's ocular prowess in his state of frowned hearing that the blonde from Kumo could possibly use her biju's chakra to aid her but then again Naruto had his eyes so it might not be such a problem. Only an actual conflict would tell who would win out.

Naruto slowly let his eyes open again and instead of a sewer Naruto found himself looking into his bedroom in the house in the _Red Light District._ Naruto ran his hand through his jet black hair with a sigh. Standing up Naruto walked to the bathroom where he started his shower and looked into the mirror over the sink. Letting his Sharingan roar to life Naruto stared intently at his own reflection. "Soon very soon the whole world will know just how great of an impact I can make on this world." Taking a deep breath Naruto let his red eyes fade back to the blue eyes he was born with. Naruto took a step into the shower and let the warm water wash over his body and relax his sore muscles.

"Konoha always loved the 'look underneath the underneath' saying so I hazard to guess that will be the first or second stage of these exams. Then after that probably a survival stage to thin the numbers down a bit before a final tournament. The tournament will allow the villages to showcase their shinobi and by extension their strength." Naruto closed his eyes for a moment to relax before finishing his shower and heading off to bed. "Ten more days and then I will have a whole new set of problems to deal with but it is a necessary evil." Naruto closed his eyes and in a few minutes Naruto drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Naruto was standing in front of the Hidden Leaf academy looking at the building impassively from under his hood. Now Naruto had not attended the academy since Mihawk had come to take Naruto from Konoha the year he was to join the academy. For some reason Naruto just thought they probably taught something stupid like Konoha during times of peace which is why none of the shinobi in the exams outside of Team Seven knew any elemental Ninjutsu. Naruto shook his head since it was amazing that Konoha could remain where it was with such a weak generation of shinobi. They truly needed to pick up their training if they wanted to surpass the last generation. However that was not Naruto's problem his only problem if it could be called that were these exams.

These exams brought shinobi of all kinds from different corners of the world here to Konoha to show everyone watching what they could do. Naruto could only smile with anticipation at the number of strong opponents he may be able to fight. Naruto found the talent in Konoha sorely lacking and hoped the other villages could provide Genin who would pique his interest. That did not matter at the moment however since to get there Naruto had a few other stages to run through before then.

"Showtime…"

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**Review Response: **Naruto does not care for the people of the village but can't see the village he was born in subjugated under another's whim. He is like Madara in that sense since Madara did not like what Hashirama did but still wanted Konoha to prosper just under his vision…well before he changed it to the Eye of the Moon but I digress. How Naruto unlocks the Mangekyō is a secret. Chojuro is no missing nin because neither was Zabuza since the Rebel side won their war.

Naruto is by no means a Jounin level shinobi yet so no he is not on Kakashi's level. The reason he defeated Aoba was because they were in a duel something Naruto excels at thanks to his teacher.

The reason I had Naruto go alone because a whole team would have put seven ninja on the Wave Mission and that would be overkill. Even sending a Jounin would be just a bit too much in my opinion. Why would Minato mind wipe someone who has shown no threat to the village? In the way you are suggesting that would be something not fitting of his character. Also what capable shinobi has to worry about villagers assaulting them?

**AN: Here is the next chapter and the start of the Chunin Exams. I hope you enjoy the chapter and continue to leave reviews. If any of you are authors yourself you know just how helpful the reviews are to the motivation. Anyway have a nice day. Ja Ne-Matt**


	5. Thinning the Herd! Stages One and Two!

**Disclaimer: This author right here who is using his two thumbs does not own the Naruto series in any aspect! Sad but it is the reality.**

**Don't forget to read the Review Response section at the end!**

* * *

Naruto Uchiha: The Prophet with the Cursed Eyes

* * *

"Showtime…"

Naruto said to himself as he walked through the main entrance of the academy and looked up to see a sign posted up on the wall that pointed the Chunin hopefuls in the right direction. Naruto arched an eyebrow at the rather obvious attempt to help the contestants in the exams but none the less followed the sign up the steps to the second floor. Whatever Naruto was expecting it was not a group of people staring at a door where two smug looking shinobi were standing guard. Naruto stood there at the top step silently as he listened to shinobi from various countries complain about being denied entry.

Naruto immediately recognized the two men guarding the room labeled as 301 from the number of times he had passed their booth. Sure they were transformed into what Naruto assumed was their younger forms but Naruto knew that as Izumo and Kotetsu the village's eternal gate guards. Naruto watched as a Genin from the Leaf tried to force his way in only to be slugged in the jaw and kicked back towards his team earning cries from the other shinobi who were getting nervous about their prospects of becoming Chunin. Naruto shook his head at the stupidity of the shinobi in front of him, if they could be called so.

'Are these people this stupid? I mean it is barely an E-Ranked Genjutsu they placed over the sign above the door. That and we have only gone up one set of stairs at this point.' Naruto thought incredulously as he stared at the protesting Genin with a deadpan glare. Trying to save whatever brain cells he had left Naruto forced his way through the group without saying a word and made it to the stairs to the third floor. Naruto did not spare a second glance to the converging of idiots on the second floor who deserved to be eliminated from this exam. Naruto had just missed a boy with green spandex and his team entering up the stairs he had just come from.

Naruto walked up to the door to the real room 301 and slid open the door and took a few steps in letting the door slide shut. A wave of killer intent immediately tried to swallow Naruto up as he walked in alone. The Genin in the room thought Naruto as an easy prey to be taken in this exam however they had no idea how wrong they could be. Naruto shrugged off the weak killer intent since he had experienced much worse while training with Itachi and Mihawk. Naruto walked over to a table situated on the right side of the room.

Naruto turned to his left to see a familiar group of shinobi glancing over at him with small smiles and one with indifference. Naruto recognized them as the blue haired boy who he fought on the bridge and the fake hunter Nin as well. However there was one Naruto did not recognize. The shinobi was wearing a black pinstripe dress shirt with a yellow tie but Naruto could catch a glimpse of chain mesh underneath the guy's collar. The boy had blue hair much like Chojuro's but also had yellow streaks running across the blue hair. Chojuro bowed slightly which Naruto thought was weird.

"H-Hello again Shinobi-san it is nice to see you once again. I am afraid I forgot to get your name the last time we crossed b-blades." Chojuro informed Naruto with a somewhat regretful tone in his voice since Naruto had provided a wonderful duel. "My name is Chojuro by the way." Chojuro said while extending his hand out for Naruto to take in a handshake. Naruto took the handshake since he respected Chojuro's skills with the sword. Naruto told Chojuro and by proxy the rest of the Kiri Genin his name in return. Since Naruto only used his first name they were blissfully unaware of Naruto's heritage.

Naruto watched with slight amusement as Haku slid over to the bench of the table Naruto was sitting at. She kept getting closer but had yet to look at the young man in the eyes which was only fueling said young man's amusement. Haku glanced to see Chojuro and her other teammate talking so she turned back to face Naruto with a small smile. "I was thinking on what you said on the bridge all that time ago and I agree trash like that doesn't deserve to live. I just wanted the chance to tell you that I admire your resolve." Haku tried to blurt out that last sentence as fast as she could.

Naruto couldn't help but let out a small chuckle at Haku's nervous behavior around him which only made the Ice Release kunoichi a little self-conscious. Naruto turned to face Haku with a small foxy grin. "It is so nice to meet a serious kunoichi. All of the kunoichi around here are more interested in their looks or love life." Naruto stated with a frown and a blank tone with a matching deadpan expression. Haku giggled at Naruto's deadpan expression drawing the attention of the other two Kiri Genin. Naruto just repeated what he said to Haku to the other two getting chuckles from both Kiri shinobi while Naruto wondered why he didn't take the chance and go to Kiri.

The boy in dress clothing looked at Naruto with a grin almost as if he could sense Naruto's strength or maybe he was just an idiot. "My name is Kakugyo!" The shinobi known as Kakugyo introduced himself with a suave tone. Naruto wondered why he was named after the bishop piece in shogi then again some people thought he was named after a ramen topping. Then something Naruto wasn't expecting happened. Naruto watched as a hand of yellow energy came out of his hand and then he performed a small salute with the energy or aura hand. Naruto raised an eyebrow at the blatant display of Kakugyo's abilities.

'There are only a few reasons to show your abilities so readily to an enemy shinobi. One he is an idiot or two he is extremely cocky in his ability. Judging from the gleam in his eye when he showed the ability it is the cocky option. What a fool it is that arrogance that will lead to an early death or the death of those around him.' Naruto shot Kakugyo a grin of his own effectively masking what he was thinking about the Kiri shinobi. Naruto continued to have a pleasant conversation with team from Kiri as the rest of the Konoha rookies made their presence known the testing room.

* * *

Team Seven had just entered the testing room and were greeted by the same treatment Naruto was greeted with about ten minutes prior. As the wave of killer intent washed over them Naomi and Narumi showed their discomfort by clenching their hands. Sasuke felt his heartbeat pick up and Sakura tried to shield herself from the malicious intent by using Sasuke's body as a buffer. The tension was becoming too much for the Leaf Genin team and left them wishing for any kind of disturbance in the unrelenting killer intent of multiple Genin teams. Thankfully someone was feeling kind today and gave them their much needed distraction.

"Sasuke-kun!"

Sasuke groaned hearing the familiar shout from one of his most loyal fan girls and as if on cue felt an extra weight on his left side. Praying silently for something else Sasuke turned his gaze to the left slightly where blonde hair filled his vision. It looks like Sasuke was not having as much luck as he would like. The room watched as Ino snuggled into the Uchiha's side with growing sweat drops on the back of their heads wondering how she became a kunoichi. A certain pinkette had a large twitch on her brow ridge as she watched the Yamanaka heiress cozy up with her Sasuke.

"Ino-pig!"

Sakura shouted at her rival and used her abnormal natural strength to pry Ino off of Sasuke like a leech. The two Leaf kunoichi, which was a stretch were grinding their foreheads against the others' and were shooting looks that could kill if such a thing was possible. Sasuke who was hiding his embarrassment well slid away from the fan girls. The room grew a second sweat drop and wondered if all Konoha kunoichi were fan girls. While all of this was happening one Leaf kunoichi with a hair style resembling a panda was looking away in embarrassment. Haku was nodding now understanding completely what Naruto was telling her earlier.

"Troublesome… it looks like you guys got roped into competing in these exams as well." Shikamaru said lazily as he and Choji who was eating from a bag of chips joined Team Seven and their teammate. Narumi and Naomi let out a small sigh seeing how even in one of the most important events in the world Shikamaru showed no enthusiasm.

"You know Shikamaru I think that you might actually die if you were to show some enthusiasm." Narumi said with a small smirk earning a snicker from her sister and a roll of the eyes from said Nara. Narumi though did get a slight twitch when she heard Shikamaru mutter out something about troublesome blondes.

"Hey it looks like you guys are taking the exams too! Not like you are going to win, right Akamaru?" Kiba said, nearly shouted in his usual brash style of doing things earning a small yelp from his canine partner. Shino and Hinata walked up behind him at a much more subdued and quiet manner. Sasuke managed to distance himself from his arguing fan girls and smirked at the Inuzuka heir.

"Of course we are, like I would miss a chance to beat shinobi from all over the continent Dog Breath. I will also be winning this whole thing. You don't stand a chance against an Uchiha mutt." Sasuke challenged arrogantly serving to irritate the young Inuzuka who wanted nothing more than to wipe away the Uchiha's signature smirk. Kiba clenched his hands around the wrists of his sweater as he restrained himself from attacking the Uchiha heir who had just insulted his pride. Hinata looked at her teammate with concern since she never really liked conflict especially when it was between comrades. Shino was just Shino.

"Watch it Sasuke! It won't be like it was back in the academy and even then you could just barely beat me. I have gotten better and your pretty little eyes just emerged meaning you still suck!" Kiba retorted with a smirk of his own as he pointed out the simple fact that Sasuke had just activated his Sharingan. Back in their academy days Kiba was the only one who was able to challenge the Uchiha when it came down to Taijutsu practice. Sasuke glared at Kiba letting his single tomoe Sharingan roar to life earning a growl from the feral like shinobi.

"You know being so loud usually puts a large target on your backs. That is something that is not recommended for anyone but especially not for rookies. Oh and I am Kabuto by the way." The Rookie Genin all quieted down and looked over to see a boy with glasses and silver walking towards their little group. Taking heed to his word the group of unaware Genin took a look around and saw a number of shady looking Genin all glaring at their group. Hinata let out an 'eep' and hid behind Shino while Ino and Sakura who had just stopped arguing swallowed lumps forming in their throat. Sasuke shot them a glare right back and the other Genin just looked around the room.

"Let them glare all they want me and Akamaru are going to win this whole thing so it doesn't matter. Isn't that right boy?" Kiba shouted obviously not bothered by being the center of the attention that others would avoid. Akamaru barked supporting his master like any loyal shinobi dog would. Kabuto looked at Kiba like he was the stupidest person to ever walk the Elemental Continent its entirety. Kiba just ignored the look as he was too busy picturing his grand victory in the middle of an arena surrounded by a number of fan girls screaming his name. Kabuto shook his head and turned to face the other shinobi in the group.

"Take it from someone who has taken these tests seven times… these exams aren't easy, these even more so since all of the major Hidden Villages are competing." Kabuto warned them sternly getting nods from the Genin. Except from Shikamaru who narrowed his eyes feeling like something was off about the silver haired Genin.

Sasuke on the other hand scoffed at the elder Leaf Genin's warning since he had another opinion on the failure in front of him. "They probably aren't that hard. You just suck." Sasuke stated with an infuriating smirk on his lips and his arms crossed over his blue clan shirt. Kabuto who had previously been smiling frowned at the naïve Uchiha.

"No, these exams are very difficult but you'll soon learn that…some of you the hard way." Kabuto finished that last part in an inaudible whisper shooting a menacing smile towards the group's Uchiha. "Taking the exams as many times as I have has allowed me to gain information on this year's competitors which is quite handy really." Kabuto stated for the group to hear as he pulled out a deck of cards that were blank. Now Shikamaru was really curious about this Leaf Genin who he had never seen before and who had information on all of the competitors. There was just something that even he couldn't figure out.

"Information?" Sasuke question raising an eyebrow with a mild curiosity directed at Kabuto's deck of ninja information cards. Once he was informed that it was information on his fellow competitors Sasuke let a grin cross his face believing he could get some advantages on a few people in the tests. "Ok then show me Rock Lee's and Gaara Sabaku's cards." Sasuke stated remembering how Gaara managed to evade his senses and how Rock Lee beat him handily not that he'd admit that. Kabuto smiled since the plan was going along perfectly and nodded his head before he began to shuffle the cards.

Placing a blank card on the floor Kabuto put his middle and pointer fingers on the card and released a small pulse of chakra onto the surface of the card. The card spun slowly until the information on Rock Lee came to the surface of the card. "Rock Lee has no capabilities in Nin or Gen jutsu due to a disease that has ruined his chakra coils. His Taijutsu though is at the point where he could match a number of Jounin. Part of Konoha's Team Nine consisting of himself, Neji Hyuga and TenTen with his sensei being Maito Guy. Team Nine has done 42 D-Rank and 35 C-Rank missions." Kabuto read the card allowing the Genin to absorb the information before returning the card to his deck and shuffling.

Kabuto pulled out a new card and channeled his chakra into that card as well revealing the picture and information on Gaara Sabaku. "Hmm I don't have that much information on him to be honest but I can tell you that he along with his teammates and siblings Temari and Kankuro have completed 12 D-Rank, 52 C-Rank and 1 B-Rank mission. The most shocking thing however is that he has never suffered an injury while in the field." Kabuto finished with a small trickle of sweat going down his brow. The Konoha Genin all gawked at that information since they would get small cuts just from D-Rank missions.

Shikamaru who had been looking around the room for a certain raven haired shinobi found his gaze and gave him a small smirk. Naruto who knew what he was about to do just shrugged his shoulders indifferently to the idea. "As troublesome as it is can you give me information on Naruto?" Shikamaru asked politely remembering to avoid using Naruto's surname effectively avoiding his wraith. Kabuto raised an eyebrow confused as to why he didn't use the surname but searched through his deck. Narumi and Naomi glared at the shadow user for asking for information on their brother. Kabuto pulled out a card with Naruto's information on it.

"Here it is. Naruto…Naruto Namikaze-Uzumaki…" Kabuto froze reading the full name of the shinobi requested getting everyone in the room to go silent and look at Naruto who was sitting there with his eyes closed at a table by himself. Shaking out of his surprise Kabuto continued on reading. "Naruto is the only son of the Fourth Hokage and has part of his early life labeled as classified. He has shown no Taijutsu but is always seen with a katana on his person. That being said his Kenjutsu skills are truly off the charts and he is said to use a style never seen before. Naruto and shown no abilities in Nin or Gen jutsu. He rotates teams when going on missions of C-Rank or above. Naruto has completed 28 D-Rank, 16 C-Rank, 1 B-Rank and 1 A-Rank mission!" Kabuto almost choked on his own saliva as he read out the last part on the card. "Naruto has also only received light cuts during his missions, nothing serious." Kabuto relayed to the silent room who were all staring at Naruto like he was an extraterrestrial.

Naruto sat there unmoving completely relaxed as he let Kabuto reveal him to the room of Chunin hopefuls. 'All of that information is accessible in the records of Konoha. He has either panted a target on me or convinced a few teams to avoid me. Plus he has given them expectations of my skill set which I can shatter if need be. Thanks Shikamaru you just made my job a lot easier.' Naruto sat there with no discernible emotion on his face but was inwardly grinning much like a fox that had caught its prey. The Leaf shinobi all stared at Naruto in shock but in Narumi and Naomi's case admiration and awe.

The Kiri team who was closest to the only son of the Hokage all looked at him with respect and slight awe. Chojuro could personally attest to Naruto's skill with his sword since he had not had a duel like that since his training back in Kiri. Haku who was surprised that Naruto had shown no skills in the Nin or Gen jutsu fields had a sneaking suspicion Naruto was using a shinobi's most powerful tool deception. Kakugyo's grin threatened to split his face in two as he thought of what a great fight Naruto could provide him with, never once entertaining the thought that his earlier display would come back and haunt him.

The team from Cloud also heard Kabuto's very thin rundown on Naruto's skills and mission history and was generally impressed. Omoi had already started to create a very elaborate but dreadful scenario where he accidentally slaughtered the son of the Yondaime Hokage leading to the destruction of the ninja system. Karui scoffed believing she could handle the prince of Konoha easily with her sword still bitter from Naruto embarrassing her over a week ago. Samui was thinking about talking to the raven haired shinobi since he seemed to be pretty cool not to mention he had the aura of a confident warrior.

Yugito though was not as lucky to have her thoughts in private thanks to a certain perverted feline that was sharing her body with her. **"Did you hear that Kitten he hasn't even been seriously injured yet. You need to claim him before some other woman sinks her claws into him!" **The Nibi purred her memory still thinking about that dominating presence that Naruto produced. It was an aura that demanded you respect his power or there would be consequences which was rare for a Genin to hold. Yugito cut the mental link with the Two Tails in favor of staring at the shinobi who was now the center of attention. 'I don't know if it is because he holds the Kyuubi but he just feels so familiar… like we have been friends for years.'

A plume of smoke suddenly erupted behind the podium in the center of the room drawing everyone's attention. Out of the smoke came a man with tanned skin and one scar running down each of his cheeks at an angle. He was wearing a black trench coat and his Leaf headband like a bandana. "Alright maggots quiet down and follow me!" This was the proctor for the first exam Ibiki Morino a renowned interrogator and head of the Hidden Leaf's _Torture and Interrogation _unit. Ibiki led the participants into another room similar to the fist but with packets of papers on each seat. Ibiki took his position at the front of the room so he could see everything.

"Find the packet that has your name and shinobi license number on it and sit down!" Ibiki ordered of his newest victims watching some of them scurry around in a panic while others calmly found where they were to be seated. "A Chunin is something much more than a Genin. As a Chunin you may find yourself leading missions where it is your role to look at everything and make swift decisions. It is up to you to be swift but correct. Some of these missions will have limits on time where you cannot just take your time and go through it a measured pace."

"No some missions you can find a comrade or an informant captured and then time will be of the essence. If you are too slow then you will lose that teammate. This is what we will be simulating here. You have a hundred questions there and an hour to answer them by any means." Ibiki smirked at the look of disbelief on most of the Genins' faces believing their task was an impossible one. "Oh and one more thing if you fail you will never be able to take the exams again and will be an eternal Genin." On cue there were cries of protest and the questioning of his authority to do so.

"I can assure you that each of your senseis accepted the terms of the test when they signed you up for the exam. Now if anyone wishes to leave before the test begins they can try again next year… but if one person leaves then their team will join them as well!" Ibiki watched with an indifferent expression as the room fell deathly quiet. The Genin were all looking towards their teammates for some form of silent guidance Ibiki waited five minutes and in that time ten teams had left the testing room. "Begin!"

As soon as the word begin left Ibiki's lips the sound of pencils hitting paper echoed in the silent room much to the hidden amusement of the proctor. Naruto let his eyes fall on to the piece of paper he was given. Flipping the first page over Naruto was tempted to immediately start answering questions but decided to tackle the test calmly. 'Remember to always read the details before rushing in. Patience will save your life many more times than any Ninjutsu.' Itachi's words echoed in Naruto's mind calming down all of his apprehension towards what he was being asked. Naruto went over the directive.

_Directive: You have an hour to complete this portion of the exam. There are one hundred questions on this exam. You are to read over each and every question before starting to answer any questions. Once you have done so then you may begin your exam._

Naruto made sure to read over the directive twice more since all of the pencils hitting the paper over and over again were having a minor effect on him. Naruto calmly read over each and every question just like the directive told them to do. When Naruto got to the final question he arched an eyebrow and did what the question asked. Turning to the back of the cover page which he assumed was blank he channeled some chakra into the paper and watched as a single line message appeared. Naruto read over the message with a blank expression and looked over to Ibiki who was just looking down at some papers.

Naruto quietly rose from his chair making sure not to draw too much attention and possibly help the competition. Naruto was aware of a few pairs or eyes on him and the most notable of them were the eyes of Ibiki. Naruto stared at the man for a few moments before letting a small smirk come to his lips a smirk mirrored by the proctor. Quietly shuffling over to a door where there was another proctor standing. The proctor asked him for the message which Naruto knew was the message on the back of his paper.

"_The Leaf that lies in the sun also lies in the shadows."_

The proctor nodded his head and opened the door he was standing in front motioning for Naruto to follow him into a smaller waiting and rest room. Naruto took a seat and the proctor went back to take his original position leaving Naruto to his thoughts. 'I was the first one done I see. Ibiki created a high amount of tension in explaining the duties expected of a Chunin. Then to add on to that he created a false illusion of being an _Eternal Genin_ to force them to rush through the test thus making them forget what he said about looking at everything.'

'Then there is the purpose of separating those who succeed from the common testing area. This way the others are sure if I figured it out or if I couldn't take it and just quit. Also there is no odd chance that someone says something that will reinforce the belief of the other testers.' Naruto watched as a team from Kumo he had not met walk by him no doubt also figuring out the purpose. Seeing a team joining him in the waiting room also brought another point into Naruto's thoughts. 'Then there is the challenge of conveying the meaning of the test to your other teammates without alerting Ibiki or the other competitors.'

Naruto waited for the rest of the hour as the room filled up with other teams who either solved the puzzle or stumbled upon the answer by dumb luck. Naruto saw among the teams were the Leaf Rookies along with Team Nine, the teams from Kumo, Kiri, Suna, and Iwa were also amongst the group who had passed the first stage. Naruto was glad that from his seated position he was hidden from view of everyone minus Shikamaru who someone found him and decided to take a nap next to him. 'The lazy bastard knows I would help out if someone tried to attack him.' Naruto thought with a ghost of a smile on his usually stoic face.

It was at the fifty five minute mark that the window on the other side of the room shattered putting all the Genin on high alert. Well all of them except Naruto and Shikamaru for different reasons. A moment later a kunoichi with violet hair and wearing a tan over coat over a chain mesh. Her choice of clothing made many kunoichi glare at her and other shinobi such as Kiba and Kankuro stare at her with a perverted grin. Behind her was a banner that read… _The Sexy and Single Anko Mitarashi, Proctor of the Second Stage!_ Anko looked around at the number of Genin still left and clicker her teeth.

"Looks like Ibiki is getting soft if he let this many brats get past his test. Oh well I will have this number halved at least." Anko muttered to herself with a sadistic smile that made some of the lesser Genin feel slightly uncomfortable. "Alright brats you have ten minutes to meet me at Training Ground 44! If you aren't there you will be disqualified!" Naruto turned to look at the sleeping Nara and nudged him in the shoulder stirring him after relaying the message Naruto performed a _Shunshin_ to follow after the snake woman. He knew just where to find Training Ground 44 as did a majority of the Leaf shinobi.

* * *

Naruto and the rest of the Genin stood in a crowd in front of a gated off forest all with different expressions on their faces. A loud growl came from somewhere deep in the forest that made a few of the Genin take a step back in fear. At the front of the group Anko watched as the final few seconds ticked away, snapping the watch closed Anko turned to face the group. "Alright that's time! Hello my little Genin and welcome to my second home Training Ground 44 or better known around here as _The Forest of Death_!" Anko projected her voice to make sure that all of the Genin could hear her words.

As soon as her little introduction ended there was a shrill shriek coming from the forest as if it wanted to introduce itself to the little Genin. This of course in scaring some of the Genin to the point where a few thought their heart would pound right through their chest. Anko was smiling at their fear until she saw Naruto looking on unimpressed. Anko took out a kunai from her overcoat and tossed it with decent speed at Naruto who decided if he should let it hit him. Naruto ultimately decided against it and leaned to his right slightly so that the kunai would miss him completely.

Anko who had already performed a _Shunshin_ to get behind the raven haired shinobi had to use another kunai to hold it at Naruto's throat. The other Genin who were too distracted by the threat of the forest were looking at the proctor who looked like she was about to kill Naruto. "Does my home not meet your expectations?" Anko whispered into Naruto's ear only so he could hear her words. To have some fun with the cool and calm Genin Anko pressed her assets against Naruto's back her kunai inches from cutting into his skin. Naruto simply arched an eyebrow at Anko's rather blunt actions.

The female Genin were glaring at Anko for her rather unladylike behavior while the male portion of the crowd glared at Naruto with jealousy. However Naruto and Anko ignored them in favor of continuing the little game they were playing. "Yes I do not believe the forest is all that threatening after all I was about five when I spent a few months in there." Naruto replied in a calm whisper of his own not even bothered by Anko pressing into his back. Anko thought on his words for a few moments before she recognized the Genin she was trying to tease.

Glancing at Naruto from over his shoulder Anko had to admit that the boy from all those years ago filled out rather nicely to the point where she wouldn't mind having some fun with him. A shiver ran down _Konoha's Snake Mistress_' spine not thinking about the possible intimate time but because she suddenly felt cold steel against her inner thigh. Anko knew from its positioning that it was against a major artery that could kill her rather quickly. 'The brat is pretty good and he's level-headed. He's gonna make Chunin easily.' Anko was removed from her thoughts when her danger senses went off. Letting go of Naruto she turned around to face the person who get behind her.

It was Kusa Nin who had come up behind the two with the kunai Anko had thrown earlier in hand. The Kusa kunoichi gave Anko a very disturbing smile and handed the proctor of the Second Stage. "I was just returning your kunai proctor-san." The Kusa nin said politely before returning to stand next to her teammates. Anko and Naruto let their vision linger on the shinobi who had managed to get so close to them with a suspicious glimmer in their eyes. Anko put away both of her kunai and returned back to the front of the group to carry out the rest of her duties as the proctor.

"Listen up because I will only be saying this once! To finish this stage you need to recover two scrolls! One labeled as _Heaven _and the other _Earth_." Anko pulled out one of each scrolls to show the teams an example. "You are not allowed to open up these scrolls until you reach the tower in the center of the forest where you will need to bring the scrolls. The teams from Konoha and Kumo with four members will need to gather two of each scroll because of the extra member." Anko pocketed the scrolls and pointed over to a booth with a Chunin sitting there with a stack of papers. "To get your scroll and gate number you will need to sign a waiver that relieves Konoha of any responsibility for your probable death in the forest."

This got a number of unhappy grumbles from the Genin who were basically called future corpses by a nonchalant Anko. Naruto strolled over to the booth and signed his wavier and was given an _Earth _scroll as well as his gate, number 12. Naruto stood there by himself aware of the eyes that were on him from the Amegakure team to his right and a different Kiri squad on his left. Naruto heard Anko's voice come over a speaker system wishing the Genin luck which made Naruto snort since he knew that those words were far from sincere. There was a loud buzzer that went off and simultaneously each and every gate opened up.

Naruto took off towards where he knew the tower to be from his childhood not bothering to look for a team because he knew a team would come looking for him, the lone wolf in the competition. It had been about an hour close to two when Naruto sensed someone was following him thanks to a _Kage Bunshin_ that had dispelled itself. Naruto dropped down to the forest floor that was littered with a number of thick trees and shrubbery. It was not even a minute later when Naruto found himself with company on the forest floor. Naruto sighed of course it had to be an Iwa team.

Each of the Iwa shinobi were glaring at the scorned son of the Hokage with an obvious hatred filling their eyes, blinding them to the truth. The truth being Naruto was not his father and should not be judged for Minato's actions during a war. Who Naruto guessed was the leader stepped forward with an arrogant grin on his face. "Look it's the son of that damned _Yellow Flash_. He killed my father and now I will be able to get my revenge by killing his son! I bet you wish you had a team now bastard just so you could run from my revenge!" The teen shouted with a bloodthirsty grin, a grin that both of his teammates were sporting on their own faces.

Naruto sighed and shook his head at the ignorant fools in front of him that would rather kill him for the Hokage's sins then try and be diplomatic about the situation. Then again to the untrained eye Naruto would not appear to be any place to negotiate with a full team of shinobi. Naruto decided not to stain _Twilight_ with the blood of the trash in front of him and would stick to his Taijutsu. Naruto usually did not rely on Taijutsu since a sword was so much more efficient in killing or dispatching opponents but the raven haired shinob thought this would be a good chance to sharpen his skills. Naruto spread his legs out widening his base and let his arms hang at his sides giving the impression that he had an opening. This was the essence of the _Koto Hoku_ style that would encourage an opponent to rush in where Naruto would use sudden movements to deliver punishing but quick strikes before moving again.

"_Earth Release: Stone Gauntlets!"_The lead shinobi slammed his fists into the ground and slowly retracted them from the ground with a grin. The shinobi fell back into a boxer's stance before rushing forward to close the distance between he and the son of Iwa's greatest enemy. Naruto bobbed and weaved away from a handful of jabs that were aimed at his skull. Naruto glanced behind his shoulder and spun on his heel and gripped the sides of the stone spear that another of the Iwa shinobi had tried to stab him with. Naruto used the strength he had gained in his upper arms alone to throw one of the Iwa shinobi at the other.

The Iwa shinobi ducked under his incoming teammate and closed in on Naruto before Naruto could react effectively. Bring back his stone glove the Iwa Nin threw a straight punch that Naruto could not block in time. Naruto was taken back behind the strength in the punch and therefore was not prepared to be launched into the tree line back first. The Iwa shinobi team waited for Naruto to get back to his feet before continuing the beat down. Naruto who was pulling himself from the crushed trunk of the tree he crashed through started to evaluate himself. 'Looks like I need to up my speed a bit before I will be ready to face a group of shinobi on my own.'

Naruto crossed his fingers and created a _Kage Bunshin_ giving it silent orders to get the enemies attention which it went to do without hesitation. Naruto's _Kage Bunshin_ jumped out of the forestry behind the Iwa shinobi who had yet to attack and kicked him towards the two more eager shinobi. The other Iwa shinobi whirled around to face Naruto but the clone had already vanished back into the trees. Naruto, or his clone fell for a tree above the Iwa team landing between the three and making them scatter in opposite directions. Something Naruto planned on happening from the beginning.

Naruto had the clone lunge at the two shinobi who were closest together and had the clone detonate itself with the _Great Clone Explosion_ creating a cloud of dust and debris that filled the forest floor. The real Naruto slipped behind the one Iwa shinobi who he had kicked earlier and pulled him into the forest line after deliver a knife strike to the back of his neck rendering him unconscious. 'That is one down… two more to go.' The temporary smoke screen cleared and the two stone wielding shinobi looked around a little more wearily since they could not find their other teammate in the immediate area.

Naruto came back out and revealed himself to the two shinobi from _Iwagakure_ getting them to tense up and rearm themselves with their stone weaponry. The shinobi with the stone spear charged forward and tried to impale Naruto who slid to the side so Naruto could pin the spear to his side allowing Naruto deliver a back hand to the Iwa shinobi hard enough to get him to release the spear of stone and tumble away. The shinobi with rock gloves engaged Naruto again throwing a mix of jabs and hooks at Naruto's head who was manipulating the spear to fend off the teen's hands.

The Iwa shinobi struck the spear in the perfect spot which caused the spear to snap in half leaving Naruto holding the two ends. Naruto took a moment and adjusted his grip so that he was holding the jagged ends of the former spear like daggers. The exchange began anew with the Iwa shinobi continued throwing jabs as he bounced on the heels of his feet. Naruto used the spears to stab the Iwa shinobi's knuckles slowly chipping away the Nin's rock gauntlets. The Iwa Nin winced in pain and with a small, determined cry threw a powerful hook to Naruto's jaw that turned his head from the impact, making Naruto spit out some blood.

Shaking his head slightly to gather his bearings Naruto examined the ends of the spear and saw that they were dulled from colliding with the Nin's stone coated hands. Now with a pair of clubs Naruto weaved through a series of body strikes finally seeing the pattern behind the _Iwagakure _Genin's attacks making them easier to avoid. Naruto bashed the clubs on the teen's shoulders making the boy cry out in pain and tried to react with a second, wide hook. Predicting the rather generic movement Naruto was able to block the blow with one of the stone clubs. Knee lifting the shinobi in the gut forcing him to lurch forward Naruto dropped the club and hit the shinobi with an uppercut taking him into the air.

The shinobi Naruto backhanded away got back to his feet and glared at Naruto's back while going through a series of hand signs. _"Earth Release: Rising Impalement!" _A row of spikes shot from the earth below starting at the shinobi's feet and continuing onward towards Naruto's unprotected back. Naruto quickly gathered the necessary amount of chakra and performed a quick _Substitution _with the Iwa Nin he had sent up into the air. The shinobi had no idea what happened one moment he felt himself reach the apex of the flight and then the next he felt a wet, warm sensation where his heart was.

The teammate who was holding the spear had a look of terror plastered on his face when he realized it was his teammate at the end of his spear instead of Naruto. Naruto who had took the Iwa shinobi's position in the air landed on his feet looking at the last of the remaining shinobi with the same blank look. Naruto had utilized a _Substitution _with another person a tactic not normally used due to the large amount of chakra it takes. To change places with the target a shinobi would need to have more chakra than his/her target as well as be able to temporarily control the chakra to initiate the position change.

The Iwa shinobi's eyes started to fade before he fell forward on the ground dead leaving a traumatized backstabber to stare at his handiwork. Naruto slowly walked around the Iwa shinobi who was only staring at his onetime best friend with tears streaming down his face in a state of disbelief. Running his hand over one of the crimson magatama on his gray zip-up vest Naruto was rewarded with a kunai. Naruto thrusted the black steel right through the shocked teen's back right through the heart effectively ending his life. Naruto watched on stoically as the boy's body fell in line with the other body lying there.

Naruto remembering the purpose of this test scavenged through the pouches both shinobi had on their person in search for the scrolls necessary to pass the test. He found what he was looking for in the second boy's shuriken pouch. Apparently they had both of the scrolls and only needed to get to the tower. 'Yet they let their ignorance get in the way and decided to try and avenge those who have died in war. Though I must thank them for showing me how much I need to work on my Taijutsu.' Naruto pocketed both scrolls just in case he needed them for negotiating or just so he could keep another team out of the next round.

Taking a moment's rest before heading off towards the tower Naruto caught something out of the corner of his eye. The leaves above his head were rustling and that was when a giant spider fell down trying to devour Naruto head first. Acting quickly Naruto used _Twilight_ to bisect the arachnid watching as it shrieked and its legs curled before dying. Naruto sighed as he flicked off the creature's green blood.

It was just one of those days.

* * *

Elsewhere in the forest Team Eight was having its own troubles with a team from Iwagakure… it was the team that Naruto saw entering the village. The Leaf shinobi were panting softly with sweat running down their foreheads. Each and everyone one their clan jutsu were just not cutting it against the opponents they were matched up against. Hinata rushed forward in her Gentle Fist stance and delivered a number of debilitating strikes to the much larger Iwa shinobi. Akatsuchi however just shrugged of the chakra enhanced strikes thanks to the _Earth Armor_ he was sporting. Each blow just hit the armor but the chakra was not able to penetrate the armor the large man was wearing.

"You are pretty good with your clan jutsu lady but you just ran into the wrong opponent today. That happens sometimes." Akatsuchi said more to himself than Hinata while stroking his chin pensively earning a large sweat drop from the Hyuga Princess. Shaking his head Akatsuchi moved quickly for someone his size and dropped his fist down on Hinata's head. Hinata using her natural flexibility managed to leap back at the last moment as Akatsuchi's fist made a small crater in the ground. Akatsuchi looked up with the same dopey smile he always wore that could easily lull an enemy into a false sense of security.

"I am sorry. I do not wish to harm you but I can't lose here I still have much to prove to someone." Hinata said resolutely in one of her rare moments of confidence her _Byakugan_ active and staring intently at Akatsuchi. The Hyuga heiress quickly closed in on the large man from Iwa before stopping in front of him in a stance of the Gentle Fist. _"Eight Trigrams Thirty-Two Palms!" _Hinata cried out slamming her palms into the shinobi's chest over and over as she nailed half of the man's tenketsu in hopes of shutting him down for good but not killing the Iwa Nin.

Akatsuchi's shoulders drooped making Hinata believe she had won the battle but she was mistaken because the next moment she was knocked to the ground by a leg sweep. Hinata looked up in confusion seeing Akatsuchi standing there with that same smile like as if he had not been touched at all. "That was a pretty tough attack there Hyuga-san. It actually broke through the armor a few times. You are plenty strong but I think it is time we finish this." Akatsuchi said in a friendly voice as he put his palms into the earth at his feet. Hinata tried to get up but found that her ankle was twisted from the fall.

"_Earth Release: Terra-cotta Prison!"_ Hinata watched on helplessly as walls started to rise up all around her in a rectangular formation. There was a loud crash where the walls locked together above her trapping her in the prison. Hinata felt herself getting weaker and weaker and was left wondering what was happening to her. As if he could read her mind Akatsuchi's voice came through the walls of the prison. "I always get yelled at for explaining things but if you activate your _Byakugan _you will see what is happening so I'll just tell you. The _Terra-cotta Prison_ takes the inmate's chakra and uses it to strengthen the walls. Don't worry I made sure to make the technique end when you go unconscious." Despite her situation Hinata smiled since she would not be killed in this dreadful forest.

Shino and his bugs too were having difficulty with his opponent from Iwa due to her fire that just kept melting before they could hit her. Shino was silently blaming himself for not preparing his hive more extensively for this exam as he watched Kurotsuchi burn down another wave of his beetles. "Is that the best ya got bug boy? You better hurry up and step it up or I will end up crushing you!" The granddaughter of the Tsuchikage taunted the Aburame who under his sunglasses had a twitching brow from all of the bug-based insults. Let it be known that normally an Aburame will be logical but truly hate when people refer to them as bugs and even more so when someone speaks of killing insects. Shino raised his arms where another much larger wave of parasitic insects raced at the Iwa kunoichi. Kurotsuchi who was too busy laughing at her own puns to avoid the bugs was soon encased in the chakra eaters.

Just when Shino thought his victory was assured his insects scattered revealing a log used as a substitution to avoid being a beetle meal. Kurotsuchi appeared behind the bug user and kicked him in the spine sending him sliding towards her original position. "Hey! You just irritated me Beetle Boy! Now I am going to burn you until you are a pile of ashes!" Kurotsuchi said confidently while pointing a finger at the calm Aburame. Shino said nothing and continued to stare at Kurotsuchi who sighed in turn. "Why am I the one who always get stuck with the silent types!? They are never any fun to mess with."

"Do not worry Iwa Nin this is all over. _Ninpō: Insect Sphere._" Kurotsuchi blinked in confusion but then the lighting around her started to dim. Looking up the Iwa kunoichi saw a large sphere of beetles closing in on her completely. Shino watched as she was encased by the beetles he left on the ground the moment before she kicked him away. Shino waited for his beetles to finish the job lowering his arms and waiting. That was when there was red glow of a human silhouette under the black mass of chakra eating insects. Shino moved to reinforce the sphere just in case but it was too late.

"_Yōton: Eruption!"_ Kurotsuchi bellowed from under the beetles angrily because this was the second time she found herself under Shino's bugs. The beetles started to launch off of the _Iwagakure_ kunoichi each covered by small globs of lava making them deadly projectiles. Shino did his best to avoid the flaming insects however he was caught a few times from the loose hanging clothing on his body. Kurotsuchi who was now free looked absolutely livid with steam coming from her shoulders from her last technique which only added onto the any visage. "Okay now I am really pissed Aburame. It is time to finish you off so I can get away from all these damn bugs!"

Shino did not even notice Kurotsuchi preparing another jutsu he was so preoccupied with dodging his insects turned missiles, the numbers obviously coming back to bite him. _"Water Release: Water Trumpet!" _Kurotsuchi gather up water in her mouth and using her hand to shape the water jet giving it the appearance of a trumpet shot it towards Shino. Shino looked up at the last moment to see the powerful jet slam into his chest and blast him into a thick oak tree. The pressure continued pinning him to the tree, his head whip-lashing back and slamming into the solid bark knocking the bug-user unconscious. Kurotsuchi searched through Shino's coat and found her desired object the _Heaven_ scroll.

Kiba like the rest of his team was finding he had no luck with the diver helmet wearing kunoichi from Iwa. The Inuzuka heir looked down to see the skin on his knuckles burnt quite badly which confused him since he hadn't seen a jutsu being used. Kiba had only managed to land a few strikes on the kunoichi but they had done minimal to no damage. The ground around them was marked with craters from Kiba's and Akamaru's use of Gatsuga which the kunoichi avoided each time. Kiba looked over at his ninken partner to see his white fur covered with dirt and scratches but nothing too serious.

Kiba shook his hands that had a continuous stinging sensation coming from them which the young Inuzuka couldn't figure out the cause of. Looking back at the foreign kunoichi Kiba grinned at her despite the pain he was feeling. "I don't know why you wear that helmet. It hides your pretty, little face." Kiba said in what he thought was a smooth tone of voice stating what he thought to be a fact. Akamaru let out a small groan not believing his master would actually try to hit on someone in the middle of a battle. Poor little Akamaru…he probably should put Kiba on a leash.

The _Iwagakure_ kunoichi did not show any positive reaction to Kiba's words as matter of fact she showed no reaction. The look on her beautiful face was one of complete and utter boredom obviously Kiba was not providing any kind of excitement for her. "You're not my type. I would say sorry but I'm really not." She said getting an angry frown from Kiba as she looked up at the sky in thought. 'No there is nothing important about this mutt…not like _him_.' The kunoichi thought with a longing sigh as she remembered the presence Naruto exuded. In that brief moment she knew the raven haired son of the Hokage would be someone important. In that brief moment she knew she had to have him.

"What did you say you bitch!"

Oh stupid Kiba. You never call a woman that, ever.

The kunoichi's grey eyes suddenly had a dangerous glint in them as Kiba's words reached her just after she left her inner workings. A murderous black aura surrounded her and Kiba thought he saw an Oni mask glaring through his soul but that was just a killer intent illusion. "What did you say mutt?" Both humans and the ninken knew that this question was rhetorical, but Kiba couldn't find his tongue to respond. Akamaru slowly backed away and hid inside of a bush to leave his master to the fate he brought upon himself. The air around the kunoichi started to shimmer before screams of pain echoed out in the woods.

The Iwa shinobi team all gathered back together in the place where they originally split up Leaf's Team Eight. None of the shinobi had a mark on them nor were they even breathing hard, they were just fine. "It looks like your opponents were letdowns as well huh?" Kurotsuchi asked while twirling the scroll she liberated from Shino while her teammates nodded their heads to the more confident member of the team. "Alright then… let's go find a spot to camp out for the rest of the day and night. We have plenty of time left. No need to rush."

As the Iwa team went to find a suitable place to camp for the next sun and moon cycle another presence landed on the floor. It was Kurenai Yuhi the sensei of Team Eight who had come to collect her unconscious team. The reason was she had seen how a number of large, hungry bears were nearing each of her students. Sure it would disqualify them but it was better than them being meals for the animals of the forest. Using a Genjutsu to knock out the bears Kurenai took her team to the hospital for treatment and a rest period.

* * *

The four man squad from _Kumogakure_ found themselves in a rather tight situation as they stood surrounded by three different teams. They had found themselves in battle for the better part of half an hour with a team from _Amegakure_, _Takigakure_ and _Yugakure_. (**AN: **Yes Yugakure is still a village deal with it!) Each time any of the shinobi from Kumo had a chance to finish off one of the nine various ninja they were chased off by another one of the nine shinobi. Omoi and Karui were clashing with two Nin from Ame who were using an Umbrella Blade. Initially they thought their team work would win out but the two Ame Nin were quite the partnership as well and were holding their own.

Samui who at the start managed to kill one of the Ame shinobi with a sneak attack lightning jutsu was now facing off with the shinobi team from the Hidden Waterfall Village. Samui's tanto was broken from the water blade technique that the kunoichi from Taki had armed herself with. Samui had managed to fend off the water element using shinobi thanks to her lightning affinity but the numbers had kept them at a deadlock. Yet if the fight continued as it was Samui would surely lose because she was only one person therefore one source of chakra while they had three.

Yugito was the one having the most trouble however because of the odd fighting styles each of the _Yugakure _shinobi had individually. One of the teens had claws made of metal blades that extended out that were very compatible with his natural quickness. The next was a kunoichi who was wearing a large chakram like a large hoop but with a bladed outside. The third shinobi wielded a serrated scythe that looked more designed to cut then stab. Even if Yugito was the Jinchuuriki of the Nibi these people still defied conventional fighting methods providing challenges that were foreign to _Kumo's Hell Cat_.

Yugito had to use the Two Tails' chakra to lengthen her nails into claws of her own to combat the metal claws of the _Yugakure_ shinobi. The few kunai she had tried to use were not long enough to keep up with the eccentric combat she found herself in. Yugito moved to the side avoiding a slash from the claw wielding ninja which she responded to with a swipe of her own which he blocked with his over hand. Yugito was forced to back flip away before the chakram wielding kunoichi bisected her at the stomach. Yugito's slitted eyes narrowed at the two shinobi focusing on trying to find flaws. It was this focus that left the Kumo Jinchuuriki open to an attack.

"**Kitten there's one behind you!" **The Nibi's alarmed shout broke Yugito from her planning realizing what was about to happen she braced herself for the hurt. The Nibi too was trying to recall seeing such fighting styles and slacked on sensing the area around her container. Samui also shouted out a warning but Yugito only heard Nibi's warning. Samui's rare voice raising got the attention of Karui and Omoi who looked at Yugito with horrified and startled expressions seeing what Samui was seeing. The two shinobi from _Yugakure_ shared a glance and a smug grin seeing as they were about to take one of the pesky Kumo Nin out.

"Finally I will get to sacrifice someone to Jashin-sama!" The black haired boy shouted with an insane glee swinging his scythe down on Yugito's exposed back with his tongue hanging from the side of his mouth and eyes bright with an insane mirth.

_Clang_

The Jashinist's eyes widened when he saw his single scythe blade being held at bay by a blade that was black, white and gray. The teen looked down the blade to see a black haired shinobi from the Hidden Leaf was the one who saved Yugito. The sound of metal hitting metal stopped all the fighting going on. Each and every shinobi recognized who Naruto was thanks to Kabuto's information back before the first stage. Yugito and the Kumo Nin were both shocked and immensely relived by Naruto's timely intervention. "N-Naruto?" Yugito whispered out trying to validate what she was seeing as real.

Naruto who was still holding off the scythe with _Twilight_ without any difficulty turned over his shoulder and gave Yugito a small grin and a nod. Then Naruto quickly threw his katana up bringing the scythe with it leaving the teen from _Yugakure_ open up to the kick Naruto delivered to the teen. With the catastrophe adverted both sides regrouped staring at each other intently and some hostility. Well not Naruto he was just holding _Twilight_ while staring at the strange chain around the Jashinist's neck. It was a circle with an upside down triangle inside of it, which got Naruto to make a note to look up that term.

"If there is one thing I can't stand… that is weak people. It is even worst when the weak team together to try and attack something they can't fight on their own. It is truly pathetic." Naruto said in a calm voice that only infuriated the minor village who saw it for what it was a metaphor for the minor and major hidden villages. The Kumo team looked at Naruto from the corner of their eyes just in case Naruto tried something against them as well. **"That's right Ningen. There is nothing worse than a coalition of the weak. If anything they are fun to destroy and that's all."** Naruto mentally nodded in agreement with the Tailed Beast inside of his mind since he too shared that sentiment.

"You think you are so great just because you are a shinobi of one of those _Great _Shinobi Villages? There is no difference between your five and us eight." One of the Taki shinobi challenged boldly. He was tired of being underestimated simply because he was born in _Takigakure _instead of somewhere like _Kumogakure_ or _Konohagakure_. He knew of the great shinobi like Kakuzu who could fight with someone like the First Hokage had come from his village. Yet here was a Leaf runt talking trash about his home and it was simply unacceptable… he needed to be shown how _weak_ they were.

"Oh? You wish of a demonstration then?" Naruto asked arching the eyebrow that was hidden by his hanging bang. While he was speaking to the eight minor village Nin Naruto was motioning the _Kumogakure_ squad to prepare themselves. "Very well my minor village friends we shall have a display." Naruto said with no small amount of amusement as he suddenly vanished from the sight of the Genin, only Yugito and Samui able to see him. Not even a moment later Naruto was behind of the Jashinist with _Twilight _ready to strike decisively. And strike decisively _Twilight_ did because it took off the arm the Jashinist was using to wield the scythe. The teen from the Village Hidden in Hot Water screamed out in pain as his arm fell to the ground with a thud.

Now if he was a good little Jashinist he would be feeling euphoria instead of pain. Bad Jashinist!

Omoi and Karui quickly charged at the two Ame shinobi in hopes of catching them off guard but they were able to block the swords with their Umbrella Blades because they were the furthest away from the now one armed shinobi. Samui also followed her teammates by unleashing a lightning jutsu that sped across the forest floor and shocked one of Taki Nin who was too busy gaping at the armless teen from _Yugakure_. Yugito had taken the opportunity presented and released a ball of flames that engulfed one of the two remaining Taki shinobi killing the shinobi. Naruto nodded in that one moment they were able to reduce their numbers eight to five.

"Shock is truly a powerful emotion." Naruto said moving away from a claw slash from one of the _Yugakure_ shinobi moving back towards the Samui and Yugito who were reading for the next exchange. The kunoichi using the chakram was busy trying to bandage the major wound her teammate suffered from Naruto's _demonstration_. The one responsible merely shook his head because without the _Mystic Palm Technique_ the teen would die from blood loss, bandages just wouldn't cut it. Naruto glanced to his right and saw Samui was staring at the Taki kunoichi and Yugito was looking at the boy wearing claws. 'Looks like they have chosen their opponents…'

"_Ninpō: Raining Grass Shower!" _The two _Amegakure_ shinobi threw their umbrellas into the air where they begun to spin like a top. Picking up speed the umbrellas began to throw off hundreds of little grass senbon that all came down upon Omoi and Karui who looked at each other and nodded their heads.

"_Cloud Style: Ultimate Beheading!"_ The two tanned ninja from Kumo shouted in unison as they slashed their swords hundreds of times in the span of the few moments it would have taken for the needles to fall. Soon the needles were all diced and cut into thin sections that fell harmlessly onto the ground. Before the Ame Nin could catch their umbrella blades Omoi and Karui raced forward delivered a slash to their midsections cutting them open and making them drop to their knees.

Samui had her opponent on the back foot as well thanks to the elemental advantage lightning had over water. Before with her two teammates the kunoichi managed to hold off the Lightning user from Kumo but now without the numbers the Taki Nin knew she was in a losing battle. Samui performed a number of hand signs and held her fingers like a sight, a sight that took aim at the enemy kunoichi._ "Lightning Release: Shock Cannon!" _A blast of electricity flew from Samui's outstretched hand and coursed through the Taki Nin making her body spasm before it shut down on her.

Yugito was clashing over and over with the shinobi from _Yugakure_ using her own chakra infused nails as claws to combat the metal claws of the teen. Taking a slash Yugito was forced back as the man used his slightly longer arms to keep the Kumo Jinchuuriki at bay. The longer the confrontation stretched on the more irritated Yugito was getting. Having enough of the game of cat and mouse Yugito channeled some of the Nibi's chakra into her legs and vanished from the man's sight. Reappearing behind Yugito clawed up his back and neck cutting his skin deep before slamming her heel into the back of his head.

The Kumo team regrouped and looked over to where Naruto was only to find the other two shinobi from _Yugakure_ lying on top each other one dead and the other unconscious with an _Earth _scroll sitting on top of the bodies. Samui looked at her teammates and shrugged since it saved them some work.

"Cool…"

* * *

**Review Response (Gonna be lazy because I am uber tired): **Naruto would be placed at High Chunin level at the moment because while he does have the firepower he lacks the overall experience. Tsunade is the way I made her because she does not have the family that Naruto is rejecting and she does not care for the reasons. The Rinnegan will be up to you the readers to choose but that will be a poll for a later time, as for Naruto's Mangekyō abilities that will be up to debate **WHEN** Naruto activates the eye.

**AN: Here is the latest chapter for my story. It would have been done yesterday but it was Mother's Day so I was busy for most of the day. I'm glad for all the positive reviews I got for the last chapter. Also if there are mistakes near the end that is because of my tired state. Leave a review! Ja Ne! -Matt**


	6. One Month Reprieve

**Disclaimer: Matt does not own Naruto or anything created by anyone with a trademark!**

**Don't forget to read the Review Response section at the end for the answers to your questions!**

Naruto Uchiha: The Prophet with the Cursed Eyes

* * *

Naruto had just taken his leave from the Kumo team and his second battle in the _Forest of Death_ when the central tower came into his view. Naruto let a satisfied smile come to his face at the sight of his goal. Naruto was only a few steps from the tower when something from the depths of the forest caught his attention. It was a sudden burst of energy that was cold and dark in its nature so much so that it made Naruto falter in midstride so he could let his vision linger in the general area that the energy came from. Naruto briefly entertained the idea of investigating this negative energy's origins but ultimately decided against it.

"Not my problem _but _if it becomes my problem then I will deal with it."

Naruto assured himself before entering the tower and walking into the room that was coupled with his gate number. Naruto calmly walked into the room that was empty for the most part except for an inscription on the far wall. The inscription told of the ideas of _Heaven_ and _Earth_ as related to the body yet there were sections from each part missing. Naruto glanced momentarily at the _Heaven_ and _Earth_ scrolls resting in his grip and tossed them to the floor letting the scrolls unravel. Naruto saw the formula for a summoning on the scrolls before the room was filled with a cloud of smoke.

Naruto acting on instinct reached behind him and drew _Twilight_ treating whatever that had been called as hostile. Naruto held his sword arm steady as he calmly waited for the smoke to clear away and the visibility to return. Eventually the smoke cleared at Naruto found himself looking at a Leaf Nin who was wearing sunglasses with red rims. The man was looking down at the tip of Naruto's katana which was right at his Adam's apple. Naruto slowly lowered his katana before placing it where it was, on his back. This earned Naruto a sigh of relief from the older Leaf shinobi.

"Aoba-san what are you doing here?" Naruto asked politely with his arms crossed over the front of his chest. The only sign of curiosity coming from the teen was the single arched eyebrow while his eyes bore into Aoba with a natural intensity.

"I… I am here to explain to you this here inscription. You see if your body is lacking physical strength, speed or endurance than you will not succeed as a Chunin. _Earth_ refers to your body. However that doesn't mean that a strong body and jutsu are all you need. As a Chunin you will also need to make use of your mind, your mental capability that is _Heaven_." Aoba filled in the blanks that were on the wall which had Naruto nodding his head slowly since what the older shinobi was saying made perfect sense. An idiot with a powerful jutsu was just as useless as a genius with no strength.

"Though since I personally have seen your skills in both of those fields I don't feel the need to tell you what you already know. You are the third team to make it here and you will find a rest area behind the door to the left." Aoba informed his charge. Naruto bowed slightly to the man in thanks for his words as well as his explanation. Naruto watched as Aoba took his leave before taking his own leave from the room leaving the scrolls crossed on the floor. Naruto calmly strolled through the common resting area towards the stairs that took the participants to the bedrooms.

Naruto slowly walked past two of the shinobi hailing from Sunagakure ignoring the boy in the cat bodysuit who looked as pale as a bed sheet and the girl with a fan who was currently muttering into her hand probably insulting her brother. Naruto deduced that the problems were revolving around their Jinchuuriki of a brother. Naruto was glad that his biju was not mentally unstable or else he would be sorely tempted to test the controlling abilities of the _Sharingan_. 'Maybe the _Spirit of the Desert_ has an inferiority complex due to him being the fewest of the tailed beast. That is actually quite hysterical.'

Naruto wondered why the Kyuubi did not respond to his cynical comment which the fox seemed to like. Naruto just assumed that the large kitsune was asleep which seemed to be his second favorite activity behind destroying Uchiha. 'Maybe one day we can have a spar Kyuubi. My eyes versus your legendary power… It will be the match of the century.' Naruto's blood started to pump just thinking of fighting something as powerful as the Kyuubi but the young Uchiha knew that would be much further down the road. Believing he could fight the strongest of the Tailed Beasts as he was would be just downright foolish.

Naruto was a few steps from the base of the stairs when two boys came down from the stairs talking to each other rather happily. The boy on the left had short, messy black hair that just covered the top of his _Takigakure_ headband. His brown eyes were trained on the boy to his right and aside from the red scarf hanging from his neck there was nothing special about the teen. The other _Takigakure_ shinobi had darker skin than his teammate and had a shaved haircut and green eyes. The only thing really different about this teen was the blue scarf he had wrapped around his neck.

"That demon bitch thinks she can call the shots on our team? What a joke she was lucky we let her used that curse of hers to gather the scroll we needed!" Red said cruelly while trying not to laugh at the thought of the demon being in charged. The boy with the blue scarf nodded his head but unlike the shinobi wearing red he was laughing openly. Naruto catching their words stopped at the bottom of the steps as they continued to descend from the second floor. The word demon always made Naruto go to a place few had seen from the raven haired teen.

"Yeah like that would ever happen! Did you see the look on her face when she thought we had accepted her? Oh I think I saw the tears following behind her as she ran to the training ground! What a riot!" Blue said with a smirk of his own as he looked down the hallway at the far end of the large room. The shinobi with the red scarf just chuckled at the blue scarf's words as if they were the first joke ever invented. Naruto took one moment to check the area and made sure they were alone as the two Taki Nin made it off of the staircase.

Naruto threw the two Taki shinobi against a wall so hard that it created a spider web like crack in the stone structure and drew the breath from their lungs. The two scarf wearing teens looked up in disbelief and bewilderment wondering what just hit them. In that moment they really wished they hadn't because they were gazing right into the red slitted eyes of Naruto. "Do you care to repeat just what you said?" Naruto's voice was dark to the point where it was almost feral in nature. To make matters worse for the Taki Nin Naruto's body began to release a murderous black aura that shrouded his body.

The two Waterfall Village shinobi began to shake like a leaf that was fluttering freely in a strong wind. Normally Naruto would find such cowardice entertaining after hearing their bold words but when the word _demon_ was attached to another being Naruto was not one for games. The boy with the red scarf could not find enough resolve to answer Naruto who looked like the Shinigami in human form. Fortunately for him the boy with the blue scarf was too blinded by his bigotry to swallow his tongue. "W-Why do you care about that demon? She is the reason I lost my parents and causes the problems in our village!?"

The boy shouted angrily at Naruto not understanding the difference in the _Human Sacrifice _and the _Tailed Beast_. Naruto was slowly losing the very thin amount of patience he had for the two foreign shinobi he had at his mercy. "Answer… my… question filth!" Naruto's voice deepened even more making the boy in the red scarf truly believe it was his time to visit oblivion. The black aura around Naruto started to wave violently and sporadically slowly threatening to consume the two bigots. The shinobi with the red scarf in an effort to try and save his skin quickly answered Naruto before his teammate could infuriate the Hidden Leaf Demon further.

"S-She ran off to the training ground to be alone! T-That's all we know I promise! Just don't kill us please!" The teen begged as Naruto's slitted eyes pierced through his very soul in an attempt to discern any lie or deceit. Naruto deeming the boy was telling the truth called back his murderous intent but it caused an aftershock that rendered both _Takigakure_ shinobi unconscious against the wall. Naruto's eyes turned back to the calm blue they normally took as he made his way towards the training ground provided for the teams who had completed their task. It only took the Hokage's son a few moments to step into the open training ground.

Naruto heard sobbing echoing in the room all of which were coming from a green haired kunoichi who had her legs in front her and her arms wrapped around them in a protective means. Her shinobi gear consisted of a white top that ended midriff with a fishnet armor underneath of it. Her forearms were covered by white sections of the same clothing and a red cylinder shaped object on her back. Naruto immediately picked out the Taki forehead protector on her right arm. Naruto took a few calming breathes before he tried to talk to the distraught container because the last thing he wanted was to come off threatening.

Naruto slowly walked over to where the green haired girl was crying and slowly lowered himself so he was sitting next to her. The girl had yet to realize Naruto was sitting there due to her emotional state something which Naruto took notice of. To gain her attention Naruto coughed once which got her to pause her crying but not to look up from her knees. "Go away! I'm not even doing anything to bother you! All I'm doing is being alone like the world seems to like it!" The girl screamed at Naruto though her voice was hoarse from all of the sobbing she was doing at the moment.

"Why would I want to leave you all alone? It looks like you could use some company to me." Naruto said calmly in the softest voice he could manage as he looked ahead. The girl's body tensed at hearing an unfamiliar voice so close to her. Looking up curious as to who was so close to her she saw Naruto's face and his blue eyes that were looking straight ahead. Naruto turned his head and his blue eyes locked with her orange eyes where he flashed a small smile to the girl whose eyes were red from crying."I'm sure you know who I am by now so may I ask for your name then Miss?"

The green hair girl simply stared at the teen who she knew was the son of the Fourth Hokage which would basically make him like a prince in Konoha. 'Why is he even speaking to someone like me?' The girl asked herself as she remembered the brief moment her eyes met Naruto's where she saw so much. To most people's Naruto's eyes were cold and uncaring but to her someone who had been scorned her entire life they were so warm and accepting. There was no malice in those blue eyes; it was those eyes that made her feel something she had long forsaken… hope. "M-My name is Fu but you shouldn't be talking to someone like me. I mean you are the son of the Fourth Hokage and all…"

Fu's voice was so low that if Naruto was not as close as he was he would not have been able to her Fu introduce herself to him. His hand though did twitch slightly when Fu called him Minato's son but he would let it slide seeing how depressed the kunoichi was. "Why wouldn't I want to talk to someone I can empathize with so deeply?" Naruto asked rhetorically as he looked out over the training ground with a faraway look in his azure eyes. Naruto's faraway gaze was due to the rush of memories of how terrible his childhood was. How he had people who were meant to protect him yet they abandoned him. Life as a Jinchuuriki was hell that much was true.

The look of unmistakable sorrow in Fu's orange eyes quickly morphed into a look of uncontainable fury. 'How could this well off guy even think he could possibly relate to my pain?!' Fu's fists clenched as her teeth ground against each other as she tried to reign in her rage caused by Naruto's words. "How could you even think you know anything about the life that was forced on to me? You know nothing!" Fu challenged Naruto's words not believing someone as important as he could possibly be hated. The truth is that ever since Mihawk had taken Naruto away the hate-filled populace of Konoha had forgotten about its pariah.

Naruto scoffed not at Fu but at the idea of being loved by the parasites that had infested the Hidden Leaf. That was something Naruto had blamed on Minato but also on the Nidaime Hokage for creating the _Civilian Council_. Naruto always wondered what a militant leader like Tobirama Senju was thinking when he passed that doctrine. 'Foolish Senju…' Naruto's inner Uchiha perked up at the chance to insult their blood rivals. Naruto looked back at Fu allowing her to see the bitter look in his eyes. At first Fu thought it was directed at her but upon closer examination she could tell it was something else that caused the raven haired boy next to her so much pain.

"This village will never accept me. No nothing here will change until the older generation is wiped away and the new generation takes its place, clean of useless hate. I will tell you the story of my life Fu and then you can make the decision if our lives are comparable. You see on October Tenth the Kyuubi had attacked Konoha…" Naruto ignored the Kyuubi's indignant grunt from the back of his mind. "…The Fourth Hokage then battled with the Kyuubi had with the assistance of his wife's special binding chakra chains managed to temporarily subdue the Kyuubi. The Fourth then did something to ensure the balance of power in our shinobi world he created two Jinchuurikis. The two Jinchuuriki were his daughters each had a part of the Kyuubi's chakra sealed into them, one with Yin and the other Yang. This left the Nine Tails with just a conscious which he needed to seal as well to prevent the Kyuubi from reforming in the future. He sealed that consciousness into me."

"It does not end there however. No then next he revealed to the villagers just what he had done to the Kyuubi. After his small speech the village hailed the two girls as heroines and princesses. I was scorned however as people believed me to be the Kyuubi wearing human skin coming back to kill more of their loved ones. Not even the _great Yondaime's_ name could save me from the hate and the beatings." Naruto then went into detail on a number of beatings he had received from the civilian and shinobi of the village. Some of the things that Naruto told her made her stomach twist and turn and before she knew it her cheeks were moist and eyes were misty.

"I was given the hatred of a Jinchuuriki but none of the power that accompanies that deep, endless sorrow. To make things worse I had a family who was plenty capable of keeping me safe from the mountain of hatred that was crushing me. Eventually though people saw my struggle and slowly removed that burden from my shoulders and accelerated my growth to make me what I am today." Naruto ended his tale with a small smile as he pictured the faces of his precious people lingered in front of him. Fu was looking at Naruto in admiration wondering how he could be so strong under such dire circumstances.

"**He is not lying to you Fu-girl. I can definitely sense the Kyuubi coming from the boy. He is like you." **Chomei the Seven Tailed Beetle spoke up for the first time since Naruto had shown in the training ground. Fu and Chomei had one of the more friendly relationships out of the Jinchuuriki and Tailed Beasts. Chomei felt an incredible guilt at what his presence had done to Fu who was such a sweet girl. 'Chomei why are humans such a bunch of irrational fools?' Fu asked sadly as she continued to stare at Naruto who was sitting there with his eyes closed. **"Now that my child is something even I do not know the answer to."**

Naruto calming his tumultuous emotions opened his eyes and turned to look at the green haired kunoichi sitting next to him. "Now then Fu-chan, will you tell me your story?" Naruto asked with a small smile. Fu's tanned cheeks sported a small blush at having been addressed in such a way, a way that was foreign to her. Never had a boy her age called her that since their favorites were demon or demon whore. The only person to call her that was Shibuki, the village leader who was like an elder brother to her. Managing to kill the blush Fu gave a small nod in response to Naruto's inquiry.

"Unlike _Konohagakure_, _Takigakure _is always in a battle to continue to fund things such as development and research units due to our minor village status. For that reason they trained me to become their weapon, to protect the citizens of the village. The very same citizens who would rather watch me burn then try to help me. My elder brother figure, Shibuki can only do so much since he does not have that much political sway since he only recently took over as head of the village." Fu gave Naruto a small run down of the domestic state of Taki to which Naruto nodded slightly since the information seemed accurate enough.

"Since we don't have a large shinobi roster like the other Hidden Villages the civilian side of the council agreed to have me try and master the Seven Tails' chakra. To keep me in check they usually keep a seal collar around my neck. I am forced to live in the _Great Tree _located at the center of the village away from the villagers. I live on a stipend I get from Shibuki that I can only spend at a few stores that don't have the sign of the beetle hanging from their doors." Fu's voice took a small hint of anger at the mention of the villagers of Taki, not that Naruto would admonish her for that.

"They then assigned me to a team for these Chunin Exams since it would be a good way to show off some of Taki's strength and hopefully draw in more business. I guess I foolishly thought that my team would accept me but I see how wrong I was." Fu could feel the tears welling up in her eyes again and moved to hug her legs again when she felt something warm around her. Fu then realized that it was Naruto who was hugging her tightly, the action alone making her eyes widen in shock. Never before had anyone been so caring towards her and here was the boy she literally met maybe an hour ago hugging her.

"It will be alright you just need to keep on being strong Fu-chan." Naruto whispered into her ear consolingly breaking Fu's emotional dam. Fu let her head drop on to Naruto's shoulder where she began to cry. Naruto just stroked her back as he felt the fabric on his shoulder dampen from the mint haired Jinchuuriki's tears. Naruto held Fu for around ten minutes until Fu managed to gain back control over her tear ducts. Naruto pulled back from the hug making Fu miss the contact of his body. "Say Fu-chan would you like to leave Taki and stay here in Konoha with me?" Naruto asked seemingly out of left field which made Fu recoil in surprise.

"W-What!? I don't think the council would let their most powerful asset go just like that Naruto-kun." Fu said honestly but secretly liked the idea of joining Naruto in living in Konoha and away from the village that se currently resided in. Chomei was also listening on intently since this seemed like the perfect opportunity to get his container away from that cesspit of a village. Naruto's smile slowly changed into a devious grin that spread across his face. To Fu it reminded her of a fox, to Chomei it reminded him of when the Kyuubi would actually indulge his prankster side. To both container and Tailed Beast they could only wonder what Naruto was planning in that head of his.

"Now don't you worry you'll find out soon enough Fu-chan… all in time."

* * *

Naruto stood at the far end of the line of Chunin hopefuls that were all staring at one man and that man was the Fourth Hokage of the Village Hidden in the Leaves. All of them except for Naruto who was more entertained with the singe bang hanging over his eye. Rather than look at the man who was meant to be his father Naruto pushed the bang from his face showing his Hidden Leaf headband. "I wish to congratulate all of you for making it through our _Forest of Death_ while also being able to accomplish your objective. It is now that we will determine the draw for the final stage of the Chunin exams." A few of the more intelligent Genin picked up the fact that the _Yellow Flash_ had used the word draw to describe the final stage and pieced together what he meant.

"Normally we would have a round of preliminaries to lessen the number of combatants in the tournament but considering the magnitude of these exams all of the Kage have agreed to hold the tournament over a three day time span where each Kage from the major villages as well as the daimyos would attend to witness this generation's best."The Fourth Hokage ended getting wide eyes from the Genin who just realized how many powerful shinobi would be gathering in Konoha, aside from Naruto that is who just appeared bored. Anko walked up beside Minato holding a box with a hole in the lid big enough for a hand to fit through.

"When you are called you will come forth and draw a number that will slate you in a position for the tourney." The Hokage turned to Anko who nodded her head showing she was ready to begin. Minato called out each Genin who drew a number that Anko would relay to a man behind a monitor who was typing away furiously! Naruto slowly walked up when called and Minato gave him a smile just like he had Narumi and Naomi but where they returned the gesture Naruto just walked past him and picked his number. Another handful of Genin later and the bracket was filled out; Minato nodded his head telling the typist to reveal the tourney.

**Bracket One:**

Neji Hyuga vs. Akatsuchi

Hin-Tao vs. Yugito Nii

Rock Lee vs. Kurotsuchi

Gaara Sabaku vs. Sakura Haruno

**Bracket Two: **

Karui vs. Kankuro Sabaku

TenTen vs. Naomi Namikaze-Uzumaki

Fu vs. Dosu Kinuta

Kin Tsuchi vs. Yuna Neira

_Day One Intermission_

**Bracket Three: **

Zaku Abumi vs. Narumi Namikaze-Uzumaki

Fenri vs. Choji Akimichi

Ino Yamanaka vs. Haku Yuki

Kakugyo vs. Samui

**Bracket Four:**

Chojuro vs. Omoi

Temari Sabaku vs. Shikamaru Nara

Shiku vs. Tera

Naruto Namikaze-Uzumaki vs. Sasuke Uchiha

The Genin all searched the giant monitor board for their name and who their opponent would be and once they did the Genin all tried to identify who that opponent was. Sasuke found Naruto's apathetical gaze and smirked confidently at the Hokage's scorned son who just looked on impassively. 'Hey Kyuubi, do you want to see me mess with an Uchiha?' Naruto asked full well knowing the answer he would get from the mass of chakra. **"Ningen, there is nothing more that I like than seeing the suffering of an Uchiha." ** The Kyuubi was just about to take a nap but he was now wide awake not wanting to miss a chance to see an Uchiha's pain.

Naruto nodded and closed his eyes and slowly opened them in a perfect replica of a look Itachi would always give him. Sasuke recognized the look from the face of his traitorous brother and growled as the curse on his neck spread slowly. Before Sasuke could attempt to harm his opponent Kakashi appeared behind his pupil and placed a hand on his shoulder before _Body Flickering _away to seal off the curse mark. Naruto and the Kyuubi wore identical, amused grins that showcased their fangs quite menacingly. Chojuro who at that moment spared a glance at Naruto shivered as he mentally imaged one of his senseis grinning at him like that.

Minato still had more to say coughed loudly to grab back control of the room as well as to quell the quiet ruckus that had sprang to life. "This tournament will begin here in Konoha in exactly one month's time. This will give you time to hone some of your skills as well as give the Kages and Daimyos proper time to travel. You may stay here to train or return to your home village but know this if you are late you are automatically disqualified no matter how much potential you may have timing is essential in the shinobi world. Good luck to you all." With that Minato had vanished in a yellow flash leaving the Genin who had not seen the technique in awe.

'He did that on purpose.' Naruto groaned silently and walked away clearly not impressed like the other Genin that were not blood relatives of him. Naruto was aware of the few pairs of eyes that were on him as he left but he paid them no mind. He was tired of being around so many people. He needed his solitude. Narumi and Naomi planned to follow them but were quickly confronted by Shikamaru, Ino and Choji who asked them if they wanted to go and try to find Team Eight. The sisters looked over to where Naruto was walking and found nothing sighing they nodded their heads.

Naruto walked down the streets with his hands buried inside the pockets of his zip-up vest quickly closing in on his apartment. That was when a wonderful aroma invaded his nostrils that forced the young Uchiha to halt midstride. Turning to his left Naruto looked upon one of his most favorite places in Konoha, Ichiraku Ramen. Naruto paused his journey and started to slowly approach the ramen restaurant. 'I guess I can treat myself before diving into the deep end with my training.' Naruto walked past the hanging cloth that gave the stand some privacy and silently sat there as Teuchi started to make some ramen. Naruto cleared his throat gaining the ramen maker's attention.

Teuchi paused the making of his next batch of ramen and turned around his polite smile already in place for the customer to feel more welcomed. "Hello how may… oh Naruto my boy how are you doing?" The old man asked his favorite customer who he hadn't seen in a while to which Naruto gave him an apologetic smile.

"Well I have been very busy as of late…" Naruto started off only to have a bowl of Miso Ramen slid across the counter. Naruto blinked and looked up questioningly where he met Teuchi already motioning for him to start eating. Naruto nodded with a grateful smile on his usually stoic face. Breaking open the chopsticks Naruto uttered a quick thank you before he dug into his hot food. Naruto sighed in pleasure as he swallowed his first bite. "So good…"

"Dad did I hear you say Naruto?" A more feminine voice asked from in the kitchen section of the ramen stand. Soon the owner of the voice Ayame, the Ramen Maker's daughter emerged out of the kitchen. Her face lit up upon seeing Naruto sitting there in the stool. Wasting no time she took off at a speed that would leave a Chunin green with envy and locked Naruto in a warm embrace. Thankfully Naruto emptied his first bowl so Ayame's rather sudden action only rattled the empty bowl. Naruto let out a small grunt but managed to keep himself perched atop the small stool despite Ayame's weight crashing against him.

Ayame eventually released the young Uzumaki from her exuberant hug and stared at him expectantly. "Where have you been mister?" Naruto's whole body screamed danger as he gulped down the lump in his throat. Ayame had a hand on her hip and a ladle in her other hand that accompanied with the stern look on her face reminded him of the older sister he saw her as. Naruto thought about escaping but knew that would only make the civilian girl even angrier than she was now. Naruto decided to bite the bullet and tell them the truth of what he had been doing.

Naruto then went on to explain how he had been placed on his own team and had to take an influx of missions to fulfill the requirements needed to participate in the Chunin Exams. Naruto then told them of what he had experienced during his last trip into the _Forest of Death_. Teuchi nodded his head since he had heard many things about a shinobi's way of life from idle chatter at his establishment. Ayame still looked doubtful but in the end relented only giving Naruto a warning about what she would do if he disappeared ever again. By the end of the talk Naruto had a newfound fear of cast iron pots.

* * *

_Two Days After Stage Two, Konoha_

'Look at all these insignificant worms smiling at me. Just their looks make me want to empty my stomach.' Naruto said to himself as he ignored the smiling elders who would walk by him and the few times they waved Naruto directly frowned at them to which they shrugged it off as a young man having a bad day. **"You should let me destroy them then Ningen. I won't devour them because they will leave a bad taste but destroy… that I can do." **The Kyuubi voiced his opinion no doubt with a very menacing smirk of his face. Naruto thought about it for a few moments before sighing and shaking his head negatively. 'I can't do that otherwise I'd have the Hokage and the Council on my head. Don't worry once your chakra returns you shall be allowed to stretch your legs Kyuubi.' Naruto assured his Tailed Beast as he continued to walk calmly down the street.

Naruto's forward progress was stopped when a shadow over took his body making Naruto look up to see what it was that was stopping him. The man in front of him was dark skinned and had a muscular build that could make him seem very imposing. The man's right shoulder contained the kanji for iron and a bull's horn was tattooed on his left cheek. The man wore oval shaped sunglasses and the typical Kumo flak jacket but this one only went over one shoulder. The man had a red, rope belt around his waist and a white scarf around his neck. The man carried seven swords with him and Naruto could tell by his presence that the man was no joke. **"Hachibi…" **

And now it all made sense because in front of him stood the Jinchuuriki of the Eight Tailed Octopus-Ox or an _Ushi-Oni_. This was the man who had managed to gain prefect control of his tailed beast to the point where he could transform willingly into the Hachibi while still remaining in control. These feats were what earned him the title of the _Perfect Jinchuuriki_ and one of the world's most dangerous shinobi. Naruto was curious as to why this man stopped him for no reason it would seem. "How may I help you Kumo Shinobi?" Naruto asked blankly as he took a step back to put some space between him and his fellow container for safety's purposes.

"No, no that won't do Mr. Nine, you have to call me Hachibi-sama and we will be all fine!" Killer Bee sang in a horrendous rap that made a few bystanders who heard it face plant due to the sheer terribleness. Naruto's eyes narrowed at the larger man for his annoying speaking pattern and silently hoped that it was a onetime thing. **"I can't believe this! You are an idiot Bee! Not only did you give out the fact that we are a Jinchuuriki but you also made yourself look like an idiot, which makes me look like an idiot!" **The Eight Tailed Ushi-Oni shouted in anger and disbelief at his aspiring rapper of a container. 'Hachibi why you got to hate, my rapping skill is of the highest rate!'

"That's not going to happen." Naruto stated plainly as he looked into Bee's sunglasses with an impassive gaze. 'I take back my thoughts from earlier. Sure he may be powerful but he is also a joke.' Naruto mused to himself while silently thanking Kami for not putting him around the eccentric foreigner in some off chance he had found Naruto while off on a mission or something like that. **"Ningen I have never been more happy than I am now that I was sealed into you instead of that idiot." **The Kyuubi could only imagine what his brother had to go through having to listen to that incessant form of speech each and every moment.

"Fool ya better respect my rapping skills so mean before I knock your head off clean. Then you won't be so preen." Killer Bee took a more aggressive tone of voice as it always did when someone outside of his brother or the Hachibi insulted his passion. Naruto quickly discerned the threat in the man's idiot speak and tensed himself in case the larger tanned man tried to attack him. **"Bee what are you doing threatening this boy? He is the Hokage's son and any fight will draw all of Konoha's forces down on you. My help or not you can't beat them on your own!"**

Killer Bee's eyes widened behind his glasses when he realized what that meant and if he did not die then his brother would surely give him his iron claw. Bee managed to keep a grimace from flooding his face at the phantom pain of his brother's claw of pain. Bee looked back at Naruto who was prepared to fight if need be then Bee started to laugh which confused Naruto leading him to question the Kumo Nin's sanity. "Sorry about that yo, I am just going to go." Bee said quickly before hurrying past Naruto muttering a few things Naruto didn't quite catch.

Naruto slowly turned around to make sure that the _Kumogakure _Jinchuuriki was actually going to leave and not attack him from behind. Naruto watched as he spoke aloud while waving his hands around in weird gestures. The people on the street cleared to one of the sides hoping to avoid catching whatever was wrong with the rapping man. Naruto resisted the urge to palm his face when he saw the man pull out a book labeled rhymes and began to write in the book. Naruto released a breath in an attempt to forget the strange encounter with Kumo's Killer Bee.

"**Ningen, if you ever begin speaking like that I will personally rip this seal away and slowly skewer you with each and every one of my claws." **The Kyuubi warned Naruto as he glared at the space Killer Bee once occupied trying to forget what he just heard. Naruto nodded his head since that would be something Naruto would fully support. 'You have nothing to fear Kyuubi for if I ever begin to rhyme my words purposefully then I will gladly present my _Sharingan_ to you to crush.' Naruto promised to never be such an idiot and if he was then he would gladly visit the Shinigami.

'Now that, that is over I need to begin my training for the Chunin Exam finals. It is best to use the _Shunshin_ there to avoid any more useless confrontations.' Naruto held a single hand sign and soon his body exploded in black crow feathers shocking the civilians who were passing by. Naruto reformed from a murder of crows inside of the study inside of the apartment complex he had come to own in the _Red Light District_. **"I don't see why you feel the need to train more just for the runts in these exams of yours." **The Kyuubi had not had to train in something in centuries so the idea of training was out of his realm of understanding. Naruto sighed as he sat behind his desk pulling out a book and putting it on the desk. 'I am not training for the other participants per say. I am continuing to train so I will not be overtaken by any unforeseen threat that may come this way.'

Getting no response from the mass of chakra sealed inside of him Naruto looked at the book that he placed on the desk. The books bindings were a deep crimson color with a purple Uzumaki swirl emblazoned in the front cover. Naruto had meant to take a look at the book ever since he had claimed it but with all of the work he had on his plate never got the chance. The first hundred pages or so were a general history as well as some firs hand accounts of a few events in history. There was something that made Naruto glance down at himself but he mentally pushed that back in favor for reading more of his book.

Naruto skimmed through another fifty or so pages until something caught his interest so much so that he had momentarily let go of the book to try and comprehend what he had just read. Taking a deep breath Naruto read over the information once again and found that he was not mistaken in what he had read. "Something like that is even possible?" Naruto questioned more to the air than anything else. The Kyuubi who was reading through Naruto's eyes was also quite surprised by what he had read. **"It seems unlikely but with things like that you never know until you try."** The Kyuubi admitted with some amount of respect for what was accomplished in some of the things done in the book. Naruto nodded his head and began to read with a new sense of purpose in his azure eyes.

* * *

_Near the borders of the Land of Fire and Earth_

"What are we going to do about this Sensei?" A man with charcoal black eyes asked while staring down at the piece of paper that was resting on the counter between the two cloaked figures. If the information on the paper was accurate then what may happen could be very disconcerting to say the least.

"I know you wanted to visit the Chunin Exams to check on our student but these reports if true are quite concerning." A sharp voice said before taking a sip from his cup of tea getting a nod from the person next to him. The man's yellow eyes stared ahead at the road which was now muddy with the rain.

"I agree Sensei. As much as I would like to see his progress since he has left our tutelage we need to check on these rumors." A softer yet equally serious voice replied as the owner looked up into the dark sky from under the small travel station they were resting at.

These two men who were sipping tea were two of Naruto's three senseis, Dracule Mihawk and Itachi Uchiha. Both men were making their way back to Konoha with all intent on checking up on Naruto but a certain piece of information altered those plans. The report from one of Mihawk's informants read of two men who were wearing black cloaks adorned by red clouds. While not as large as Jiraiya's spy network Mihawk's was just as effective when he needed to know something. What bothered the Hawk Eyed Swordsman was who was underneath those cloaks. From the report they were given Itachi and Mihawk had only just missed the two shinobi who were in the center of the report.

"It seems that we will need to visit _Tsuchi no Kuni_ once more Itachi. Are you ready to go?" Mihawk asked seemingly not even bothered by the seasonal downpour that was currently soaking the area. Itachi nodded his head slightly and with that the two traveling shinobi paid for their drinks and walked out into the rain wearing white cloaks with a deep green stripe bisecting the cloak.

* * *

_One Week after stage two, Konoha_

Naruto was sitting in the center of _Training Ground Seven_ having just finished going through the katas for his sword style. It was something Mifune had instilled into the young swordsman's head. Mifune would always say that to keep one's blade as sharp as their mind practice was always needed or else the skills attained would deteriorate. Naruto knew that katas could only take him so far so he asked Neko if she could spar with him once a week. Yugao agreed since with the finals right around the corner all ANBU who were not on long term missions were given leave so they could keep the village's safety uncompromised.

They had already spared once and Naruto could see how happy Yugao was to actually have a duel with someone. Naruto and Yugao both knew that the number of skilled swordsman in Konoha could be counted on one hand. Naruto knew of only one proficient with a blade besides Yugao and his name was Hayate Gekko. Naruto recalled that when he mentioned that name Yugao would tense momentarily but Naruto did not pry. Naruto had been forced to train in his basement while working on his Ninjutsu due to the prying eyes of the village. Naruto was thankful Mihawk had taught him how to use reinforcement seals otherwise the whole complex would have collapsed down on him during his first training session.

Naruto opened his eyes feeling five new presences on the training ground that was just empty aside from him. Naruto's blank eyes found themselves staring at Minato, Kushina, Narumi, Naomi and Jiraiya. Naruto slowly reached for _Twilight_ which was lying on the grass next to him before standing up. "What is it?" Naruto asked already knowing the answer but decided it was best to be civil with a man who could control his entire shinobi career. Kushina sighed sadly at her son's distant behavior which deep down she knew herself to be the cause of. Naruto looked at the group waiting for any of them to answer his question.

Kushina was the first to act and pointed at the large man with white hair who was holding an equally large scroll in one arm. "The pervert and the rest of us would like for you to sign the Toad contract." Kushina said hopeful this could be a chance for her to finally start to make amends with her wayward son. That was the sentiment shared by each person in their little group yet sadly Naruto still wouldn't even smile at them. He looked at them like he was looking at an enemy and to him they may as well be.

Jiraiya scoffed at the red head's words and some weird music began to play confusing everyone minus Minato and Naruto. "I am no mere pervert Kushina! I am the world's greatest pervert! I am a super pervert!" The music came to a climax with a loud trumpet sound and then the field was deathly quiet with each person looking at the Toad Sage. Minato had just face palmed at his Sensei's less than desirable behavior. Kushina and her daughters were glaring bloody murder at the self proclaimed world's greatest pervert. Naruto just stared at the Toad like he would any other time they had encountered each other.

Naomi spoke before Naruto could even manage to respond with a reply of his own. "Yeah Nii-san you should sign the Ero idiot's contract that way we can all train together!" The excitable red head said with a shimmer of hope in her eyes at the thought of having her big brother back. Narumi smiled at her sister already knowing her wish was the same as Naomi's wish though Narumi just couldn't see Naruto as a brother any more it didn't feel right. Naruto was something else to her he was like an engine that wouldn't stop and that belief was only furthered when she read that letter all those years ago.

Naruto's impassive blue eyes softened for a moment as he looked at his sister who looked back imploringly. Back when he was a child Naruto would easily blame his sister for his suffering but as he grew he realized that her actions were not meant to hurt him. She was just acting like any child who would want attention from their parents. "I can't sign the Toad Contract for I have already signed a contract with the Crows and their leader." Naruto replied easily since it was the truth and he had no desire to break the gift given to him by Itachi.

Minato smiled at his son since he already knew that and had come up with a plan just in case Naruto had said that. "That's fine Naruto. We already spoke with Gamabunta and he said he had no problem if you signed the contract to go along with yours. All you have to do is it clear it with the head of the Crows." The rest of the group nodded since it was not easy to get the prideful toad to agree to share a summoner with a species he saw as inferior not that they would tell Naruto he said that.

"I still must decline for I have already discussed this with the leader of the Crows and he has agreed but only with the summon animal I am naturally aligned with, which I have yet to discover what it is." Naruto explained calmly as he looked up into the sky and saw a shadow flicker over the sun briefly but showed no visible reaction to the anomaly. Kushina nodded in understanding since she realized pushing Naruto only made him push back much harder. The four holders of the Toad Contract however were showing varying levels of disappointment with Naruto's decision to decline the contract.

Jiraiya and all his pride could not believe that Naruto could turn down a chance to align himself with the Toads but also by proxy turn down being trained by the fabled Toad Sage. "Kid there are a million people who would kill to be offered what I just offered you. This is your chance to train under my wing and become something feared." Jiraiya explained seriously as he stared into Naruto's glacial eyes with a questioning glint in his eyes. Naruto just stared right back with the only notable facial reaction was the slight downward twitch of his lips.

"Perhaps you are right however I am not one of those so called millions. I can achieve what I need to without your help… that goes for you as well Kushina, Minato. You have nothing I wish to learn. Not the _Rasengan _or even the _Hiraishin_. Now if you will excuse me I have something that needs my attention." Naruto then disappeared beneath a shroud of falling crow feathers leaving the five shinobi there speechless. With good reason too since it was not every day that someone refused to learn some of the most feared jutsu in the world. But Naruto was far from normal.

* * *

_Kurohane Forest_

Naruto opened his now _Sharingan _red eyes as he looked around the area he found himself transported to. Naruto knew this place to be _Kurohane Forest_ which was the home of the Crow summons. This place was only known to the Crows as well as Naruto. Not even Itachi knew of this place because he had declined to train further with his summons content with using them solely for his illusions. On Naruto's first visit he questioned the Crow Patriarch why he was unable to deactivate his dojutsu. The head Crow informed Naruto that the spiritual energy in the forest was so great that Naruto would find it impossible to deactivate his Sharingan.

Naruto gazed out at the boundary that separated the forest of the Crows and another forest and the difference couldn't be any more prominent. The forest Naruto was looking at was lush and vibrant and overall bustling with life. Kurohane on the other hand looked like a desolate land rather than a forest but that was by design. The trees were nothing more than decaying bark structures devoid of life while the dirt was a dark grey with no nutrients to support the trees. This marked the land and told other species to stay away. Naruto knew that the areas adjacent to _Kurohane Forest_ were what feed the Crows.

Naruto walked calmly deeper into the dead forest as the moon that always shone down on the forest illuminated his path. That was another curious thing about the forest was that there was no day time, just night. The moon was infused with more spiritual energy than was the sun so it always illuminated the forest. Thanks to the great amounts of spiritual energy saturating the air the forest was also kept warm by the essence of the energy. Basically over time the forest adapted itself to have no need for the sun something Naruto found fascinating. Naruto finally found what he was looking for, living trees in the dead woods.

These trees were where the crows lived in the forest because unlike the other trees they were alive and certainly thriving. The crows while not a very large clan in comparison to the other summons but they were extremely close-knit to each other and their summoner. That was what Naruto valued the most was their loyalty something he had been deprived of during his childhood. There were a total of twenty living trees clustered in one area of _Kurohane Forest_ each of which were unique thanks to the pigmentation of their leaves. These trees were not normal however; each tree was the size of Konoha's Hokage Monument in both height and width.

Naruto continued on towards the great tree that was in the center of the twenty tree cluster that was specialized thanks to its grey leaves. Naruto waved to a few of the smaller crows who had yet to learn how to speak while giving a few of the elder crows a respectful nod. Naruto walked into the tree that was hallowed out with stairs created for this very purpose. Naruto climbed up to the top where a rather large crow was perched high above the forest floor. The crow was wearing samurai armor form the Edo period that covered his wings and body. The armor was a deep blue almost purple. This was the head of all Crows, Shokei.

"You have called for me Shokei-san?" Naruto asked of his boss summon calmly refusing to bow like he did every time he had visited the head of the murder. At first this lead to a very tense situation but Naruto cleared that up by saying being submissive did not equal respect it showed fear. After than Naruto had earned the large crow's respect and was never asked to bow before him again. The crow opened his void black eyes and stared down his summoner who to his credit showed no sign of discomfort from being examined so crucially. The crow flapped his wings once and let out an ear rattling caw.

"Yes I have Naruto. I believe this is the right time for you to bond yourself with one of the young crows so that they may become your familiar in the future." The old crow's voice was a tad on the shrill side yet still held a tremendous amount of power behind it. Naruto let his eyes widen momentarily in surprise but nodded his head. The first time Naruto was told of this process Naruto questioned when he could perform it but was told that all would work itself out in time. "For every year a human grows we crows shinobi crows grow two so your new partner will soon be able to assist you. Now there are a number of suitable candidates you may choose fr-"

Shokei was cut off when the leaves above their heads started to rustle violently and a few weak caws were heard. Not a moment later a small crow came crashing in through the grey leaves heading straight for a painful collision. Naruto's _Sharingan _quickly deciphered the path the crow was going to take and quickly leapt up and caught the crow against his torso. Shokei looked irritated at being interrupted by one of the young ones but that look was erased by the look on Naruto's face. "What is it Naruto!?" The old crow's natural protective instinct soon took over the irritation.

"There is quite a deep gash on this young one's underbelly." Naruto said and without looking up at Shokei, Naruto activated the _Mystic Palm Technique_ and began to close up the wound. Now while not being a veterinarian Naruto was able to close up wounds like this one without much of a problem it just took longer than a trained professional. The crow opened its eyes when the pain subsided and looked up to see Naruto smiling at her. "There you are little one, all better now." Naruto said smiling as he gave the crow her chance to fly off but to Naruto's surprise she just hopped onto his head and sat there in his black locks.

Naruto looked up with a smile and gently ran one of his fingers along the top of the crow's head gently earning a happy caw from her. "I think I have found the one I would like to create a bond with." Naruto informed Shokei with a smile as the crow jumped down and perched herself on Naruto's left shoulder. Shokei nodded with a small smile as he looked at the two interact with each other. Shokei recognized the red stripe on the young crow's bottom beak as the mark of one of the great warrior clans. Her father was the last of the subsection of the clan that retired from the active army and settled down with a non-combative crow. This was their daughter who Shokei knew would reach great places with the right partner and hopefully Naruto was that partner.

"Okay Naruto that is fine. To complete the _Soul Link_ the young one on your arm must ingest a drop of your blood. The spiritual essence in your blood will then link your two souls. The bond will only break in the event that one of you should perish." Naruto nodded his head and bit down on his thumb hard enough to break his skin. Naruto positioned his thumb over the crow's mouth allowing her to drink his blood. The Kyuubi quickly healed the wound and Naruto felt the tip of one of Shokei's wing on his head and the tip of the other and the young crow. _"Secret Crow Art: Soul Link." _

Naruto felt that something inside of him was reaching out for something to connect to and when he thought it wouldn't work he felt a surge go through his body. "So this is what it feels like to be linked." Naruto heard a feminine voice from his side and turned to look at the crow with a raised eyebrow. The crow looked right back at Naruto with her own black eyes before Naruto finally spoke.

"You can talk?" Naruto asked curiously since only moments ago all he could hear from her caws like any other crow. His question seemed to amuse his new familiar if her giggling was any indication.

"Of course I can. I have always been able to but only other crows and those we have been linked with can understand us. My name is Suisei by the way Naruto!" Naruto was about to reply when he saw something that made him pause in his tracks. Suisei's previously empty black eyes changed to a burning red and slowly three tomoe filled each eye. Naruto blinked a few times as did Suisei who saw her eyes reflected in Naruto's headband. Needless to say neither Naruto nor Suisei knew what was going on or why she now had the _Sharingan_.

"Ah so it seems like the blood from your body has changed Suisei as well, how interesting. Since Itachi had never linked with a crow this is the first time a link had been formed at all especially with a shinobi with a kekkei genkai." Naruto paused and analyzed the situation as well and that was the best and only explanation that even made sense. "Now then why don't you two go back to Konoha and get acquainted with each other? Off you go shoo…"

Then came the simultaneous reply of Naruto and Suisei.

"Stupid bag of feathers…"

As they were brought back to Konoha the old crow broke into a fit of laughter. "They are perfect for each other!"

* * *

Translations:

Kurohane- Blackwing

Shokei- Executioner

Suisei- Comet

**Review Response: **First I know things seem generic almost like the cannon to some of you but I need time to get Naruto's power up high enough to throw in some things I'd like to put in. Let's face it for exciting things to happen you need the real threat of danger which only higher level Nin can provide something Naruto isn't ready with.

Now I don't want my readers to rush into a decision about the Rinnegan until later on in the story when I make it an option. But trust me in saying that it won't come at the same time as the Mangekyō will come if it is added it won't be until the foreseeable future. Open minds readers, open minds.

I see that a few of you have picked up on Naruto's latent ignorance but don't worry soon Naruto will realize how far he was yet to go. But also remember when he verbalizes that arrogance in battle it also serves to make his opponents angry and thus sloppy. Pride is another one of Naruto's flaws but then again it serves to be his greatest strength as well. You just need to look to see it.

As for the pairing and potential for a harem I will say this… Every female I have Naruto interact with has a differing amount of affection for Naruto and for different reasons. Some of these feelings will become more while others won't you just need to read to find out. Evil aren't I?

How were my rhymes by the way?

**AN: Here is the latest chapter for my story! Sorry this one was a little late but I had my semester finals for college! However I am out of the summer now! Great right? Any who thank you for your kind words. Those of you who have found some of the not so subtle things I put in there good work. Leave a review please and have a nice day! Ja Ne- Matt**


	7. Brackets One and Two! Proving Your Worth

**Disclaimer: I still own nothing… not one single share of the juggernaut known as the Naruto franchise. If I did can you imagine the money?**

**Techniques will now be in bold upon request!**

**Don't forget the review response section at the end!**

Naruto Uchiha: The Prophet with the Cursed Eyes

* * *

_Konoha, Day of the Final Stage_

A pair of bleary blue eyes opened reluctantly as slumber was ripped away from their owner. Naruto groaned softly as he blinked a couple of times to see if he could possibly sleep any longer but his body would not allow him that luxury this day. Naruto sat up slowly letting the single blanket he was using pool around his waist revealing his bare torso. Glancing to the clock Naruto saw there was still another four hours until the final stage of the Chunin Exams even begun. Naruto sighed softly running his hand through his raven locks while releasing the seals on his window allowing the sunlight to filter through the glass pane. Naruto rose from his bed stretching out some of his more frequently used muscles with a quick grunt.

'One more day and then the firestorm will fall around me.' Naruto noted silently as he walked into the shower and prepared himself for the day ahead. 'One more day and then this village will remember its pariah but now the wolf has grown his fangs and is not afraid to use them.' Naruto continued to think on what the future had in store for him as he finished his shower and dressed himself. Naruto now dressed and hygienic took a step out on to the large balcony he had built during his third month in living in the complex.

A small caw invaded Naruto's ear and soon after Naruto felt there was an additional but small weight rested upon his left shoulder. Naruto turned his head and let his eyes linger on Suisei his new familiar. With a small smile Naruto ran his finger gently across the gleaming black feathers on the back of her neck and lower back. Naruto wasn't sure what he would get when the old crow told him he would be getting a partner but after talking with Suisei and getting to know her Naruto knew he couldn't be happier. "How was your night Suisei?"

The young crow cawed happily under her new friend's gentle ministrations inching closer to Naruto's cheek. "It was absolutely wonderful Naruto-kun, thank you getting that tree for me!" Suisei replied to Naruto's question through their _Soul Link_. Initially she was worried since she wanted to stay close to Naruto but did not want to be confined inside of the apartment but Naruto quickly remedied the small problem with the help of a shadow clone which bought a small tree that could fit the fledgling crow and put it right outside of Naruto's bedroom which was where the balcony was located.

Naruto smile grew just a tad as Suisei scooted on closer to his face not minding the action one bit. Naruto slowly walked back into the living area of the apartment with Suisei sitting on his shoulder enjoying the ride. In truth Naruto's apartment only had three main parts to it which where the main section that held the bed rooms, wash rooms, kitchen and such basically a whole house. Above that was where Naruto would store away any information he had acquired that could be considered sensitive, under tight lockdown by some Fuinjutsu of course. And beneath the main area was where he had created his training ground which was quite the mess at the moment.

Naruto slowly looked back at Suisei and noticed that her _Sharingan_ was blazing and she was staring right back into his eyes. He didn't want people to try and experiment on her in case they found out of her having his bloodline. He doubted they could catch her but it never hurt to be cautious. "I'm not sure how much chakra it takes for you to keep those going but I'm going to teach you how to activate and deactivate them at your leisure. You know how to control the flow of your chakra yes?" Suisei merely nodded. "Good then just temporarily stop the slow to your eyes and they should turn off since we are no longer in _Kurohane_."

Suisei closed her eyes in concentration and did as Naruto instructed, momentarily halting her chakra from reaching her eyes. There was a slight sting and when she opened her eyes again they had returned to their normal charcoal color. Seeing Naruto's nod of approval Suisei hopped up on top of Naruto's head and nested in his black hair. She didn't know why but she just liked it there, plus it had a nice view. "What are we going to be doing today Naruto-kun?" Suisei asked Naruto curiously since he seemed to be focused in on something and as her new partner she wanted to stay with him as much as possible.

Naruto leaned back into the loveseat he had taken up and with an amused smile looked up at the crow with a red stripe on her beak, or at least tried. "What do you mean 'we'? I will be going to the Chunin Exams today even though my fight won't be until tomorrow." Naruto said plainly but that was clearly not the answer Suisei was looking for if the scoff he got through the _Soul Link_ was any indication. "Is there a problem Suisei?" Naruto inquired curiously though he had an idea of what it was. Naruto could almost feel Suisei glaring into his hair which she had taken to resting in.

"Yes there is a problem mister. I am your partner so I need to accompany you to these exams." Suisei cawed at Naruto in a tone that made it seem like her logic was the most indisputable thing in the world. Naruto clearly had other ideas on this matter.

"No you cannot come with me. Besides you would be in danger since you are not combat ready yet." Naruto said sternly as he looked out the window into the village. It was true that the first year between a crow and their partner was sole for building an accord, trust. That was when Naruto felt and oppressive fear deep within his soul. It was that feeling when a woman was smiling an overly sweet smile that promised pain if the wrong answer was given.

"Are you saying you wouldn't protect me if someone tried anything? I mean I will be with you the entire time." The tone she used was very dangerous and Naruto knew it but fear would not have an influence on his feelings. Suisei too felt it through the link that Naruto would keep her from harm from anyone who attempted to harm her, especially with how they shared their similar pasts. Suisei bobbed her head in approval of Naruto's feelings since it just showed how right she was. "See, that is exactly what I thought. It is settled I am coming with you Naruto-kun."

Naruto sighed softly and rubbed his temples not because of Suisei's triumphant cawing but the irritation of working with a female crow. "Tiresome female…" Naruto muttered softly thinking Suisei would not hear him over her celebration but he was wrong. Suisei who did hear him narrowed her eyes before starting to peck viscously at his head while pulling out small strands of hair. Naruto's eyes widened in pain and he quickly sprung to his feet uttering random profanities from the pain until Suisei decided he had enough punishment. The young raven haired, crow wearing shinobi had a single thought as he wore a deadpan expression.

'What a wonderful way to start the day…'

"I heard that!"

Suisei replied through the link getting Naruto to groan and the Kyuubi who was awake to let out a deep chuckle at Naruto's life.

* * *

The crowd roared exuberantly as the participants filled into the stadium each person cheering for their sentimental favorite. The stands in the top ring of the stadium were frequented with those who hoped to make it big by placing a bet on a long shot. There were five chairs on the northern and southern ends of the stadium. The north end was reserved for the Kage and the southern end was for the daimyos. There were three proctors standing in front of the Chunin hopefuls. Most of the Genin were taken back by the sheer magnitude of the event; those who weren't were Naruto, Gaara, and a few others. The Leaf Jounin chewing on a senbon used chakra to magnify his voice and quiet down the crowd.

"Hello everyone and welcome to the 30th International Chunin exams, I am the head proctor Genma Shiranui. I would all like you to rise out of respect for the Kage who are about to make their entrance." The Jounin of the special squad meant to guard the Hokage requested as all eyes filtered to the northern section of the stadium.

The first person to enter the _Kage's Booth_ was a beautiful woman who had a small smile on her face as she peered out at the crowd. Her green eyes showing a general warmth as she waved, her auburn hair falling down to her shins. Underneath the blue and white ceremonial robes of the Mizukage was a long, blue dress that went past the knees and was closed with a zipper on its front underneath that was a layer of chain mesh. This was Mei Terumi, the Godaime Mizukage of _Kirigakure no Sato_. She was the wielder of a dual bloodline and was the woman who took over directly after the Yondaime Mizukage was overthrown. She took her seat on the far left.

The next person to enter was a very shot, old man who was levitating to make up for his height deficiency. The man's face was covered by a very angular beard and mustache, thick eyebrows and a very large nose that held a red color to it. The elderly Kage wore a jacket that was yellow and green in design with a red collar labeling all high ranking shinobi in _Iwagakure_. Under that jacket was the typical Iwa flak jacket to provide more protection. This man was Onoki of both Scales and he too was in the robes made for the Tsuchikage. Onoki took the seat to the far right.

The next man was a muscular, dark skinned shinobi who a very serious expression on his face almost as if he couldn't be bothered to look at the adoring crowd. The man had a small blonde mustache and beard on his face which had prominent cheek bones. The Raikage unlike the other Kages only wore his white and yellow Kage robes showing off his muscular frame. Ay wore a series of golden bangles that hung from each wrist as well as a golden belt with a boar's face engraved into it around his waist. Ay plopped down in the seat next to Onoki and rested his chin in his hand, clearly bored.

The next man too wore a serious expression as he calmly walked into the _Kage's Booth_ with his hands hidden in the sleeves of his Kage robes. The man had short, auburn hair that was spiky in its nature. Unlike Mei this man's hair was closer to black than it was a vibrant red like the young Mizukage's hair. Underneath the Kazekage robes he had closed up was a black jacket and pants with mesh armor under that. The man glanced at his fellow Kage and took the seat that was next to the Mizukage with proper posture and closed eyes.

The finally Minato came from the corridor and stood in front of the chair in the center in his usual clothing except instead of his white cloak he wore the white and red robes of the Hokage. "Hello everyone and welcome to my home Konohagakure, you are about to witness the talent of the next generation. It is these fine young shinobi that will be tasked with your protection in the future and will no doubt play roles that even we now can't wrap our minds around. Before we start the first match of the first bracket please welcome the daimyos of each land." Minato said with a hand gestured to the opposite end of the stadium where the feudal lords soon took corresponding seats of their Kages.

Ay was the first to speak breaking the silence he and his fellow Kage fell into while watching Genma and the other Jounin explain the rules of the exam. "I already know who will win it just a matter of formalities." The muscular Raikage said with a grunt as his eyes scanned the line of Chunin.

"That would be?" The Tsuchikage asked with a dry drawl seeing as how the brat from Kumo he had met before had yet to break from his arrogance. Onoki watched a grin threatened to split the Raikage's face.

"That would be Yugito. She is not only the Jinchuuriki of the Two Tails but she trained under my partner Bee who you all know has absolute command of his tailed beast!" The tanned man took the obvious chance to boast about his Jinchuuriki's strength and by proxy his own.

The Mizukage smiled softly as she looked down at the young shinobi down on the field where she momentarily locked gazes with Naruto who was calmly scanning the booth as well, ignoring the proctors' instructions. 'Who is that boy and why is he looking at the Hokage with such void eyes?' The Mizukage then cursed herself for not looking at the booklet of competitors before she came to the stadium. "My, how very humble of you Raikage-dono…" Mei said with a calm tone but the slight was evident.

"If I had to bet my money would be on young Chojuro. He is one of the _Seven Ninja Swordsmen_ _of the Mist_ after all. That and he was trained by two of the other swordsmen. I have high faith in him." Mei gave her own pick with nothing but confidence in her soft voice ignoring the scoff from the Raikage.

"My granddaughter has all of the skills necessary to win this tournament but she needs to get it through her head that her overconfidence will be her downfall." Onoki gave his own pick with a bitter grumble since his granddaughter was almost as cocky to the point of a Kage level complex where he glanced at the Raikage.

"That may be true Onoki-dono but I have a hard time seeing my son losing. Gaara has been groomed since a young age to be the ultimate weapon. The pure power behind his attacks is truly staggering." The Wind Shadow said in an even tone of voice but still confident nonetheless. A number of failed assassination attempts on his son founding that confidence.

"I have heard that your boy is quite unstable in the mind…" Onoki pointed out with a small smirk on his aged face. The Kazekage frowned but did not comment on that point. He turned his eyes towards the blonde Hokage. "Who is your pick, Hokage-dono?"

"One of my daughters, the first match is about to begin."

* * *

_Combat Field_

"Will the Genin please make their way to the Combatant's Booth while Neji Hyuga and Akatsuchi remain?" The kunoichi Jounin from Kumo asked getting the field to clear out aside from the two fighters and the Jounin. "Neji Hyuga are you ready?" A nod from the Hyuga prodigy was the answer. "Akatsuchi are you ready?" A second nod was the answer. "Hajime!"

Neji stood there confidently as the crowd watched with baited breath at the thought of the exams finally started. Neji stared at the larger Iwa Genin with his white eyes that were meant to see everything. It was these eyes and his ego being inflated from being called a prodigy despite coming from the branch family that created the incantation of hubris that now took the field. Akatsuchi was contrasting Neji to Hinata and was very surprised in the contrast in their demeanors and he wasn't even aware of their blood relation that ran deeper than mere clan mates. Neji closed his eyes and shook his head an arrogant gesture if there ever was one in a mono on mono fight.

"These eyes can see much more than a chakra network Iwa Nin. These eyes blessed on me can see the outcome of this battle. Fate has deemed you unworthy and because of this you will lose to me." Neji stated smugly with an overconfident smirk across his pale skin, obviously looking down on the Iwa shinobi. Akatsuchi too his credit remained with the same smile that was dopey in nature that he came in with. Now it wasn't any mental training that kept him calm despite the compassion of him and dirt. No it was just simply who the large man from Iwa was, an easy-going spirit.

"You know what Hyuga-san you aren't very kind are you. That lady from your clan Hinata, I think… she was much nicer maybe stronger too." Akatsuchi commented with a smile directed at Neji who dropped his arrogant visage in exchange for a seething glare. The mention of the Hyuga princess made the usually calm Neji's blood boil under his skin. His dojutsu seemed to awaken with his latent family issues. To Neji being compared to someone who lived the life of royalty while not deserving it was ridiculous and why because his father was born a few moments later than the current clan head.

"An outsider like you knows nothing!" Neji shouted seeing red in his usually all seeing eyes as he rushed forward with malcontent for his opponent. Akatsuchi who was already aware of what the Gentle Fist could do a person backpedaled to keep a respectable amount of space between he and Neji. However a charging Neji quickly shortened that distance despite Akatsuchi's attempts to make it otherwise. Within Akatsuchi's guard Neji lashed out with a number of hand strikes before Akatsuchi managed to bring his guard up using his forearms. A rare frown took over the large Iwa teen who was quickly becoming tired of being Neji's punching bag.

Acting out with a quick leg sweep that got Neji to open up his base and slightly alter his perfect form Akatsuchi was able to throw a quick jab straight to Neji's chest getting the Hyuga prodigy to slide back with a small grunt. Neji quickly quelled the minor pain and glared down the larger man as he positioned his hands at the ready again. Neji ignored the stinging sensation in his hands from what felt like striking solid rock. Akatsuchi moved in deceptively quick and pressed on Neji who was forced to use his superior speed to avoid being struck by Akatsuchi's powerful punches.

Neji who was evading most of his opponent's blows was fed up with being put on the defensive in a Taijutsu fight, _his_ area of expertise, or so he thought. Intercepting an attack by the wrist Neji quickly retaliated with a flurry of strikes aimed at the tenketsu around Akatsuchi's chest. By the time the quick strikes were over Neji was panting from exertion and hopped back to create a moment of rest. Neji watched with a pleased smirk as Akatsuchi's shoulders slumped along with his head. Neji now with a second wind so to speak reassumed the arrogant stance he had taken at the beginning of the match along with a slow shake of the head.

"I told you that fate had deemed you the loser of this battle and you only hastened that by engaging me in hand to hand combat. Not even an Uchiha would think of fighting a Hyuga in a prolonged Taijutsu battle. I have closed most of your chakra points it is over."

Neji said to the seemingly paralyzed Akatsuchi who had still yet to move a muscle since Neji relented with his barrage of palm strikes.

* * *

_In the stands_

The Leaf Jounin of the teams participating all were seated within close proximity to each other to watch their students do battle, even Kurenai whose students were defeated in the _Forest of Death_. Of course there was friendly banter between each Jounin with their own thoughts on who would win the whole tournament, as well as a few friendly wagers. Even Kakashi who was always _fashionably _late was there on time despite Sasuke's match which wasn't until day two. A threat to his most cherished Icha Icha by a certain red haired wife of the Hokage would do that to a man, a perverted one.

"Man that sure is one arrogant brat you got there Gai." Anko one of the Jounin who didn't have a team comment with a chuckle. Currently the Leaf's _Snake Mistress_ was carelessly polishing dango by the stickful with her feet up on the empty seat in front of her. A seat which she threatened a man in front of her to vacate with an all expense paid trip to the T&I department.

"Yes Neji-kun does have a problem controlling his arrogance despite my best efforts to change that. I believe being called a prodigy in such an illustrious clan like the Hyuga has only fueled that superiority complex. Plus the fact he is a branch member only serves as a bonus to young Neji's desire to act as he does." The usually bubbly and energetic Gai said with a grave expression on his face just didn't seem to fit the green spandex wearing Jounin.

"Why would Neji be fueled by the simple fact that he isn't a main family Hyuga like Hinata. That seems like a rather childish reason? That seems out of character for someone like him." The red eyed Jounin Kurenai asked curiously looking over to Asuma who was sitting next to her with a smoke between his lips as was the norm.

Asuma let out a small sigh that served to release some smoke into the air as well much to the chagrin of the people behind the chain smoking Jounin. "That's right you weren't a Jounin yet so you might not have heard about the specifics. I'm sure you remember when Hinata was almost kidnapped by the Kumo advisor… well in the end we needed to send Kumo a corpse with the Hyuga bloodline which happened to be Hiashi's brother and Neji's father Hizashi."

"Kumo was quick to deny any activity in the attempted kidnapping and made it known we struck down one of its most veteran shinobi. They demanded a dead Hyuga in return which Minato-kun agreed to but with a twist. We put a few seals on the body that would destroy the _Byakugan _then fade away." Kushina finished the story with a frown marring her face since she was never on good terms with the Village Hidden in the Clouds.

* * *

_Combat Field_

"Proctor you may as well call this match. I have struck far too many of his chakra points for him to continue much less be in any combat effective position." Neji stated confidently as he looked over to the proctor from Kumo who he didn't even notice thanks to the tunnel vision effect of the battle in front of him. The Kumo kunoichi serving as the proctor heard the Hyuga's words but gave no response as she focused in on Akatsuchi whose only movement was his steady breathing. She was about to call it in favor of the young Hyuga when movement was caught within her peripheral vision in the direction of the _Iwagakure _Genin.

Then to the shock of the previously smug Hyuga, Akatsuchi simply rolled his shoulder getting a pop as the bone went back into place. Akatsuchi looked back up and smiled at Neji who still and a surprised look plastered on his face. "Oh that kind of hurt there, Neji-san. I am impressed at how much strength there is behind those blows." Akatsuchi who could see the dumbfounded look on Neji's face decided to shed a little light on the matter. "Well I guess I can tell you since you're the only Hyuga I can fight here. You see I had to fight another Hyuga in the forest where she broke through my **Earth Armor** a few times so when I knew that I had to fight you I just increased the strength of the armor around my chest area."

"It doesn't matter what your counter measures may be you will lose fate has decreed it to be. Just gi-" Neji was cut off when he caught the sight of a spear made of earth quickly honing in on his position. Neji couldn't move in time but thankfully the spear only nicked his cheek leaving a cut there which was dripping red with his prodigious blood. "W-what?" Neji asked in a slight stupor at the feel of his own blood. Neji had no time to question what was happening as three more earthen spears threatened to impale him if he didn't act.

"**Kaiten!**_" _Neji shouted almost desperately as he began to spin in a clockwise motion while releasing chakra from each of his tenketsu. This feat earned shock gasps from the section of the Hyuga clan that was observing in the stands. A few were appalled that a branch member knew a secret art from their clan while a few more open minded people like Hiashi were impressed at what Neji managed to do. The spinning created a revolving dome of chakra that grinded the spears into nothing but dust. Eventually Neji's spinning came to an end and very quickly he opened his eyes as he stopped his rotating.

Akatsuchi saw him open his eyes and quickly surmised that in order to fight the disorientation such high speed rotation would create he needed to close his eyes. A second weakness Akatsuchi found was the sheer amount of chakra necessary to pull of the technique since it was pure chakra. The third was the lack of mobility that hampered Neji as he performed that technique. Each of which Akatsuchi planned to take advantage of with the next attack. Akatsuchi stomped on the ground getting three spears to shoot into the air each of which he quickly gripped and threw at Neji.

Neji who was panting got another _Kaiten_ fired up in time to guard against the spears that each the dome of rotating physical energy at varied times. Akatsuchi quickly got behind the dome of spinning chakra and waited for it to come to an end. Neji not able to hold the chakra any more due to exhaustion searched for Akatsuchi's presence and realized that the Iwa Nin was behind him. It was too late because Akatsuchi managed to finish the hand signs for his own jutsu as Neji started to turn to face the Iwa shinobi.

"**Earth****Release: Stone Golem Technique."**Neji watched as a large humanoid stone was spewed from Akatsuchi's mouth before he bit down separating it from his person. The golem then encompassed Neji in a strong embrace that Neji tried to break from but couldn't find the strength to break from the firm hold. The golem squeezed down on Neji frame eliciting a pained shout from the Hyuga prodigy. The pressure got to be too much as the moments passed on and eventually Neji fell limp in the stone humanoid's arms.

"Winner by knockout, Akatsuchi!" The Kumo Jounin shouted after checking up on the unconscious Neji getting a roar from the crowd. While not flashy with the jutsu it was still an excellent hand to hand combat battle.

* * *

_Combatant Booth_

"That is what happens when one gets too reliant on one skill instead of creating an arsenal to use." Naruto said as nothing more than an observation getting a sound of approval from Suisei through their _Soul Link_ and a nod from the diver helmet wearing kunoichi who managed to take space next to him as the other was taken by a wall.

Yugito and a shinobi with a Kiri headband made their way down the steps towards the field as Akatsuchi came back up to the congratulations from his comrades. Sasuke who heard Naruto's words and in his narcissistic ways twisted it to fit him took a shot back at Naruto. "Why do you have a bird on your shoulder loser? Becoming some sort of bird watcher?"

This earned a pair of admiration filled squeals from the Uchiha's most loyal of fan girls which in turn got a groan from the Nara who couldn't believe one of those people were his teammates. Lee shouted of how Sasuke's words were quite un-youthful which the avenger ignored in favor of staring at Naruto with his _Sharingan _activated in an attempt to intimidate Naruto. The crow let out a low caw at the arrogant Uchiha.

Naruto did not bother to take his eyes off the battle field as he leaned on the wall with Suisei on his shoulder to keep a more professional appearance. "Who this is, is of no importance to you. Just hold your tongue and your beating shall come soon enough." Naruto said impassively as he idly stroked the back of Suisei's head with his finger.

Gaara who was at the other wall staring at Sakura with eyes that could murder thought with a bloodlust. 'Don't worry mother. Soon we shall have the pink haired one's blood on the sand. Soon…'

* * *

_Combat Field_

Yugito and the boy named Hin-Tao simply stared at each other for a few tense moments each coming up with their own battle plans with the proctor from Konoha just calling the start of the match. While the boy from Kiri went over his own options Yugito was having an audience with her own demon. 'What do you think we should do for this guy Nibi?' Yugito asked the being who had more than a few centuries of experience on her and was willing to share it. **"Considering the format of the tournament I say that we keep our skills hidden for the most part until the later rounds where the more difficult opponents will be."**

Yugito nodded mentally since that was the usual strategy in a tournament where you had to battle multiple times. 'That makes sense but what do you suggest that I do to win this match?" Yugito asked keeping a keen watch on Hin-Tao just in case he made a move while she was in an internal audience with her demon. **"Take a slight amount of chakra from me and use your claws and natural flexibility to try and overwhelm the boy. If that doesn't work then we can always adapt as the situation calls." **Then almost simultaneously both the kunoichi from _Kumogakure_ and the shinobi from _Kirigakure_ nodded their heads.

Channeling a bit of the yokai from the Two Tails into her nails getting them to grow into claws Yugito dropped down much like a cat would her slitted eyes staring intently at Hin-Tao. The shinobi from Kiri took imitative and began to run through a few hand seals. Yugito rushed at the shinobi hoping to stop him before the jutsu was complete. **"Water Release: Water Bullet!"**Hin-Tao then released a concentrated glob of water from his mouth that was fired towards Yugito. Letting out a low hiss of agitation Yugito flipped backwards to avoid the water crashing down on her.

Hin-Tao started to repeat his hand signs to allow another water projectile something Yugito didn't allow this time. Already upon the Kiri teen she brought her claws down in a swiping motion forcing him to release the series of signs to cover himself with his arms. Both fighters could hear the slashing sound of Yugito's claws easily tearing through the fabric of his clothing. Hin-Tao reached into his pouch and armed himself with a kunai in each hand and tried to hold back the claws from gouging out his eyes. The pair reached a stalemate with Hin-Tao holding back Yugito's claws with his superior strength.

'Just a little bit more…' Yugito hissed out mentally reaching out for just an ounce more of the Nibi's demonic chakra, which she was granted. Reacting to the up in power Yugito's claws glowed a dark blue as they started to cut through Hin-Tao's kunai much to the boy's horror. With a snap the kunai were cut clean through and the pointed ends fell to the ground and with a quick follow Yugito slashed Hin-Tao across the chest with some of the remnants of the demonic chakra seeping into the open wounds. The energy transfer went unnoticed by most in the arena including Hin-Tao himself.

* * *

_Combatant Booth_

'This fight is over. I guess it was too much to hope for that boy to push Yugito to reveal any of her more lethal skills. It can't be helped I suppose.' Naruto could feel the confused feelings Suisei was emitting through their _Soul Link_. 'Yugito is a Jinchuuriki much like me. Our chakra's or should I say the Tailed Beasts' chakras are corrosive to anyone except a Jinchuuriki. If that boy continues to try and call on his chakra he will kill himself.' Suisei who took in the information like a sponge wondered why she didn't get affected if Naruto's chakra was meant to be acidic but saved that question for another time.

"Ya, kick that's guy's ass Yugito!" Karui the brash kunoichi she was had no problem with voicing her confidence in Yugito, loudly. Omoi nodded his head in agreement but chose not to make he appear like an idiot like his flat chested teammate. Plus if he even said what he thought Karui no doubt would have given him a very painful beating.

Samui who was standing next to Omoi on the rail shook her head exasperatedly since Karui was too much like her hot headed brother. "I seriously wish you two would act cooler sometimes…" Samui whispered under her breath getting a smirk from Kurotsuchi who was standing next to her but no comment.

"Tao is just outmatched. He may have a few jutsu up his sleeve but he can't get enough space to use them." Chojuro said with a slightly disappointed sigh in his friend's performance thus far. Haku nodded her head in agreement since it was clear that Hin-Tao just didn't have the speed to defeat Yugito.

Sakura who saw Sasuke watching Yugito intently huffed since she thought the Kumo kunoichi was trying to steal her love. While in truth Sasuke was just trying to use the copy aspect of the _Sharingan_ as much as possible. "That Kumo girl thinks she can steal my Sasuke-kun? Well she's got another thing coming!" Sakura said with a determined shake of the fist. TenTen who saw the whole thing palmed her face wondering if there were more fan girls than kunoichi left in Konoha.

* * *

_Combat Field_

Hin-Tao was panting; his breathing was much more labored than it was before as he held his hand against his bleeding chest. The Kiri flak jacket was now decorated with four, long slash marks that ran diagonal in their course. "T-that stings…" The teen's voice was hoarse as he tried to sound serious but the pain that wormed its way in was evident. It was clear to the _Kirigakure_ Genin that he could not defeat his counterpart from Cloud with speed so he needed power. With that thought in mind he clasped his hands together and started to mold his chakra like he had down a hundred times while Yugito watched with a serious expression in play.

That was when a sudden pain coursed through Hin-Tao's entire body causing him to fall onto his knees as blood dripped from the corners of his mouth. Hin-Tao had to use his hands to keep himself from falling flat on his chest as another wave of pain crashed through his entire being. 'What's happening to me? I saw her… she didn't move from that spot.' Yugito sighed softly as she cancelled the chakra keeping her nails up like claws as she stared at the struggling Hin-Tao. As if she read his mind Yugito told Hin-Tao of what was happening to his body.

"My chakra is special to the point where if it enters a foreign body it becomes corrosive. I injected my chakra into you when I cut your chest. If you continue to try and use your chakra for the next few days the pain will continue to magnify until it kills you." Hin-Tao frowned since it was clear that he lost but at least he would live to try and get stronger. Yugito walked away back towards the booth as the medics came to check on the prone body of Hin-Tao.

"Winner by technical knockout, Yugito Nii!"

* * *

_Combatant_ _Booth_

"Yosh after such a wonderful display of youth I will need to try my best to stop my own flames from burning down the entire stadium!" With one last shout of youth Rock Lee leaped over the rail and down on to the field where a resounding shout of youth coming from the crowd resonated with Lee's earlier shouts. TenTen who was his only teammate in the viewing area due to Neji still being in the medical ward couldn't make herself any smaller than she was at the moment. She groaned wondering if it would kill her bushy browed teammate to be normal for once in his life. Yup… most likely.

"Well he's an odd one." Kurotsuchi said good naturedly as a sweat drop grew on the back of her head watching Lee go about doing push-ups as he waited for her. This earned her a nod from Akatsuchi and a slight snicker from the diver helmet wearing kunoichi. With one last amused shake of the head Kurotsuchi made her way down to the field using the more conventional way. "I'll see you two in a few." Kurotsuchi said confidently as she disappeared from sight. TenTen chose not to comment on the girl's confidence and would let Lee's ability speak for itself.

Sasuke's hands tightened around the railing as his red eyes focused in on Lee still with the vivid memory of his defeat prior to the first stage of the exams. During the month or so he had to train Kakashi had used Lee as a base to improve his Taijutsu skills so it was only natural for Sasuke to want to fight Lee after he planned on tearing through Naruto in his first match. He was confident that with his _Sharingan_ now capable of keeping up with his body that he could easily handle the Gai look alike. He was Sasuke Uchiha after all.

The diver wearing Iwa kunoichi gathered her courage and looked at Naruto with a lovely smile and tapped him on the shoulder to gather the teen's attention. Naruto blinked a few times when he felt someone touching him; turning slowly he looked at the woman next to him with a polite smile. "Hello Naruto-san." The girl greeted Naruto showing none of the nerves she was currently feeling at just talking to her crush.

"Hello…" Naruto returned the greeting but faded at the end seeking the name of the kunoichi who suddenly struck up a conversation.

"Oh forgive me. My name is Yuna!" The now named Yuna replied in the same soft tone and sweet smile that made Naruto smile in return.

"Hello Yuna-san. How may I be of assistance?" Naruto asked with the same polite smile on his face as he glanced to the field to see if the match started where Lee was going on about youth which even seemed to amuse the proctor giving Naruto some time to talk to the _Iwagakure_ kunoichi. Naruto seemed amused when Yuna fidgeted slightly under his naturally intense gaze even if there was no malcontent in his blue eyes to make her squirm.

Yuna could see the mirth that was dancing in Naruto's blue eyes and did her best to not blush in embarrassment. Taking a calming breathe Yuna faced Naruto with a small smile and a faint dusting of pink on her cheeks. "Well I heard back in the room for the first exam about your qualifications and I was wondering what you thought about the fight?" Sure it wasn't anything big but it gave her a chance to start a conversation with the young son of the Hokage. It was a start and that was all that Yuna felt she needed.

"Flatterer…" Naruto chuckled softly when her blush darkened for just a moment but still gave Yuna his assessment. "Well I do not know much about your teammate aside from the fact that she is the Tsuchikage's granddaughter so I assume she has her skills. Lee he is an interesting character and no not just his personality, though that is part of it. Lee can not use Ninjutsu or Genjutsu due to a disease affecting his coils but his Taijutsu is brilliant as is expected when Maito Gai is your sensei." It was then that Yuna cut Naruto off and finished his assessment for him and managed to get just what he was about to say.

"The winner will be the one who gets the other to stick to their strength."

"Precisely…"

* * *

_Combat Field_

"I hope you are ready Kurotsuchi-san because I can no longer hold my flames of youth back!" Lee stated as he folded one arm behind his back with another bent up over his chest. The happy go lucky look in Lee's eyes hardened but the joy was still easily detectible. Kurotsuchi stood there dumbfounded at the fact that he was talking about the flames of youth even after the match started. Kurotsuchi blinked out of her stupor and dropped into her own Taijutsu stance not wanting to do more than she had to. Lee's grin widened exponentially seeing that the Iwa princess was about to exchange blows with him.

At Kurotsuchi's silent nod to begin Lee exploded from his stance aiming to hit Kurotsuchi with a flying kick in the face. The Iwa princess shifted at the last moment and took Lee by the shin pulling him down into an incoming fist. However, Lee was ready and gripped the fist before it could harm him and threw Kurotsuchi into the air. The princess from _Iwagakure _curled into a ball midflight and righted herself skidding across the ground with a small smirk. From that exchange alone she could tell Lee was fast and strong, which meant a good fight for her.

Frowning Lee rushed in again crossing the field with surprising speed to the audience and leaping at his opponent with a number of powerful kicks. Each attack failing to make any meaningful contact Lee spun out with one powerful kick, one of his signature moves, **Leaf Whirlwind**_._ Kurotsuchi's lips pursed into a fine line seeing how much damage that kick could do to her head which was where the attack was aimed. Not panicking Kurotsuchi broke the position of the free leg that was folded away getting Lee to cry out in surprise as his momentum was thrown off center.

A small grunt escaping from Lee's gritted teeth as his back collided with the unforgiving ground Lee looked up to see a shadow falling over him. Kurotsuchi fell with a loud battle cry as she dropped a falling axe kick straight to Lee's head. Lee was quicker however and rolled out of the way of kunoichi's kick and before she could realize that her kick missed Lee had already delivered a powerful elbow to her gut making her gasp breathlessly. Lee followed up with a powerful two punch combo knocking Kurotsuchi to the ground where she sprung back up after tumbling a few feet away.

Kurotsuchi looked at Lee with a confident smirk as she rubbed away the scoff marks on her cheek from Lee's last punch. Lee gaining more confidence thanks to his successful attacks exploded from his spot kicking up a wave of dust from the speed behind his muscle. Kurotsuchi looked around in alarm seeing Lee just disappear, eyes widening when she sensed Lee standing behind her. Her instinct to spin around and be face to face with her opponent was even too late as Lee ushered Kurotsuchi into the air with a swift kick to the lower spine that had her cry out in pain.

Not even a moment later Lee was behind the airborne kunoichi mimicking her body positioning perfectly using _The Shadow of the Dancing Leaf_. The power of Lee opening the first gate without verbalization left Kurotsuchi stunned and vulnerable to Lee's attack. The wrappings around Lee's hands slowly snaked around Kurotsuchi and encased the kunoichi in a tight cocoon that Lee hugged to his chest. Beginning to spin violently Lee and the immobilized Kurotsuchi began to spike down towards the ground. The crowd held their breath as the collision with the earth below created a loud explosion knocking dust rock into the air, hampering sight.

Lee was the first to emerge from the shroud of dust kneeling a few feet from the small crater panting slightly due to exhaustion. The proctor looked over to Lee to find him staring intently at the site of impact with an unreadable determination on his face. The stadium had fallen deathly silent as they waited for the dust to part so they may see the results of the _Second Green Beast's _devastating **Front Lotus**. The cloud of dust finally cleared and the crowd gasped in horror at the sight of the Iwa kunoichi's legs sticking straight up and her upper body lodged into the ground.

Lee had his head tilted to the side not because he had just severely hurt a shinobi with his move but because the impact of the _Front Lotus_ had felt different than it should have. Lee's eyes widened as Kurotsuchi's legs started to stir and the earth around her upper body began to crumble away. The Iwa princess let out a small sigh as she sprung back up to her feet with an irritated expression in play. "That was pretty close good thing these darn earth golems are so sturdy and can take what you were dishing out. But next time you should hold off on releasing those bindings." With that Kurotsuchi quickly closed in on Lee and delivered a mighty uppercut of her own leaving Lee on his back with a startled expression.

Lee managed to gain motor control over his mouth and nodded his head taking what Kurotsuchi said to heart. Kurotsuchi began to perform hand signs for the first jutsu of the match when she decided to ask a question of her own. "Say… how come you have not used a jutsu yet? I mean pure Taijutsu can only get you so far!"

Lee's black eyes were suddenly filled with a raging fire that made Kurotsuchi take a step back when he looked at her with said eyes. Lee was now standing up with his thumb up and his teeth gleaming in the traditional good guy pose. "I'm glad you asked! You see I was born with absolutely no talent for Nin or Genjutsu so it is my dream to prove to the world that I can become a genius with my hard work and Taijutsu!" The overwhelming passion in his voice managed to convince a few people in the crowd he could but Kurotsuchi was not one of them. Her expression in a word was skeptical.

* * *

_Kage Booth_

"While normally I disagree with my foolish granddaughter I believe her to be right in this matter. That boy should just give up or become an academy instructor." Onoki said with a small shake of his head at the foolish Bushy Browed Chunin hopeful. A shinobi was meant to be able to use the arts of Ninjutsu and Genjutsu. If a person could not do so then they were not capable to be a shinobi, simple as that.

"Now I don't know about that Tsuchikage-dono. If you recall Maito Guy uses solely Taijutsu and is in fact training young Lee. To simply dismiss the boy because of conditions of his birth would be a foolish descision." Minato responded with a calm smile knowing just how powerful Gai is and just how similar Lee was to the elder Bushy Browed man.

"That is true Hokage-dono however back to the purpose of these exams neither Rock Lee nor Kurotsuchi has shown any reason to be promoted to Chunin. I mean they are just running at each other and seeing who can hit harder and faster." The Mizukage pointed out with a small smile on her lovely face.

That assessment got an affirmative grunt from the hulking Raikage who was more than interested in the impressive Taijutsu using Genin. "As impressive as the boy is with his hand to hand combat it is not enough. He isn't thinking logically and that could get any team he is part of killed. He needs more seasoning." That statement got a round of nods from the Kages assembled.

Minato looked over to where Gai was standing up with a large grin and a thumbs up as he peered down at his favorite pupil. Minato smiled when he heard Gai shout for Lee to take them off, already familiar with how Gai trained.

* * *

_Combat Field_

Lee's eyes widened momentarily at getting permission to remove the weights hidden behind his orange leg warmers. Kurotsuchi had other plans as she shot off a ball of flames at Lee that when it neared Lee's position exploded confusing Kurotsuchi since that shouldn't have happened. That was when Lee appeared suddenly in front of Kurotsuchi and hit her with a rising kick that took the young Iwa teen off her feet. Lee appeared over Kurotsuchi's rising form and slammed her back towards the earth with another powerful heel kick. Kurotsuchi's eyes shut in pain as her mind tried to understand how Lee had suddenly gotten so much faster.

Kurotsuchi growled and got back to her feet and went through a series of hand seals before even Lee could close the distance. **"Yōton: Lava Globs!"** And true to Kurotsuchi's words five globs of scorching hot lava were fired at a startled Lee. Fortunately Lee's new speed was more than able to make up for his momentary pause at seeing a Yōton user. Lee went for a straight punch but it was blocked by Kurotsuchi and Lee was forced to retreat when he felt the skin on his knuckles start to singe. "Your flames of youth burn quite hot Kurotsuchi-san! I too shall raise the intensity of my flames!"

"Stop moving around so much so I can douse those flames you seem so proud of your fuzzy eye browed freak! **Water Release: Water Trumpet!"**Because Kurotsuchi had focused in on performing her technique she missed the absolutely scandalized expression on Lee's face when she threatened to extinguish his flames of youth. Thanks to those words Lee froze in place as the trumpet blast slammed into his forearms but Lee managed to hold firm against the watery onslaught. Lee could see that training with Gai had started to pay off since the pressurized water had barely even shaken the nerves in his forearms.

Kurotsuchi seethed seeing Lee was unharmed after taking the brunt of her jutsu; she couldn't hurt him, him a shinobi with no talent, it was infuriating. "Take me seriously damn it! Take this fight seriously!" Kurotsuchi demanded angrily stomping on the ground to vent the frustration she was currently experiencing. That and as a way to arm herself with a few spears of earth which she tossed at Lee showing just how varied her jutsu arsenal was. Lee watched the spears honed in on him and gave Kurotsuchi a resolute nod since he was not one to toy with his opponents.

Sprinting out of his crouched position Lee closed the distance that spaced Lee and Kurotsuchi on the field interrupting Kurotsuchi from performing her Yōton jutsu. **"Rising Leaf Wind!"**Lee shouted dare I say youthfully as he slammed the sole of his ninja sandal into her jaw. True to the Taijutsu's name Kurotsuchi shot into the air much like a leaf being carried by a current of wind. Lee using the strength in his leg muscles leaped high into the air higher than Kurotsuchi was but she was closing in fast. **"Searing Tiger Kick!"** Lee performed a spin while curled up in a ball and lashed out with a heel kick to the back of her neck knocking her out on contact.

Lee watched as Kurotsuchi spiraled down into the ground while hanging limp due to the lack of being conscious. The moment after the _Iwagakure_ princess hit the ground Lee landed on his feet lightly finally being able to relax. The proctor quickly ran over to Kurotsuchi and checked her pulse and sighed seeing that she was only knocked out especially after that nasty looking kick. The proctor shook his head and looked and Lee with a grin getting a grin from the enthusiastic green wearing shinobi. The crowd was already going crazy from an overflow of excitement. "Winner by knockout, Rock Lee!"

* * *

_Combatant Booth_

"I can't believe she lost. Man what a disappointment…" Yuna whined childishly seeing Kurotsuchi being taken off on a gurney by the medic squad stationed solely for the purpose of treating the fighters. Akatsuchi finally not wearing that eternal smile nodded with a stern look on his face knowing just how tough that guy could be as a soon to be enemy. Naruto looked at Lee who was smiling brightly at the crowd with a newfound respect for the boy's talents and determination.

"Wow I didn't know that Lee-san was that strong!" Sakura exclaimed in shock getting her best friend Ino to nod in agreement. At first look one would cast off Rock Lee as a goof and someone who would be cannon fodder but his display just destroyed any thought that Rock Lee was negligible.

TenTen huffed at Sakura's words but there was obviously a very proud smile on her face as she watched Lee run towards the stairs. "Of course Lee is strong! He along with the rest of our team trained relentlessly under Gai-sensei for a year and a half to be prepared for this exam, unlike you rookies."

"Gai, as in Maito Gai, the Leaf's _Noble Green beast_?" Kakugyo asked seemingly no one still dressed in dress clothing and a bright yellow tie.

"TenTen time has no real purpose when stating how ready someone is. All that matters is how much work someone is willing to put in. A shinobi who works three hours one day at an urgent way will out do a man who works a whole week at a content pace." Naruto said rather blandly since TenTen had insulted him when she insulted the rookies. The other rookies all grinned at the frowning TenTen and nodded their heads even if Naruto didn't apply. "And yes Kakugyo-san Lee is Gai's student if the clothing wasn't enough of a giveaway." Naruto said with a dry look at Lee who had just returned to the booth.

Naomi and Narumi both shivered just imaging having to train under Gai to the point where you basically became a clone. A scary thought indeed.

* * *

_Combat Field_

Gaara stood there motionless with his arms crossed over his chest and a bored look on his face that did not quite reach the red head's eyes. His eyes showed nothing but a cruel gaze that wanted, no demanded the blood of his foe. The amount of killer intent that the Kazekage's youngest son was emitting was enough to unnerve the Kumo kunoichi who was lucky enough to be the mediator for this match. Despite his _Mother's_ almost reverent need to see the blood of his enemies Gaara was able to maintain the eerie calm that just fit his character. The Jinchuuriki of Shukaku was ready to kill someone.

Sakura was standing before Gaara on shaky legs as the killer intent really started to affect her, even more so due to the proximity. The pink haired daughter of the council woman started to seriously think about taking Naomi and Narumi's advice to forfeit the match for her safety. Being this close to Gaara she could see the crazed look in his eyes which she couldn't find in anyone living in Konoha, not even in Naruto's usually glacial blue eyes. She could faintly remember the proctor asking her if she was ready even if it was moments ago she couldn't for the life of her remember why she nodded her head.

Then like a cobra that was ready to strike the cork that was sealing the gourd on the _Sunagakure's _Jinchuuriki shot out like a bullet. Just out of sheer luck the small projectile missed Sakura's forehead and drilled right through her pink hair earning a delayed gasp from the terrified Leaf kunoichi. The spirit infused sand wavered out of the gourd violently as it loomed around Gaara ominously making Gaara grin bloodthirstily. Sakura's bit down on her tongue hard enough to draw blood snapping her out of the fear induced paralysis that Gaara's demeanor and killer intent forced upon her psyche.

'I can't lose here! I can't look so pathetic in front of Sasuke or else he will never love me like I do him. Even I can tell he values power. I just need to show him the power of my emotions! Thank you Tsunade-sama, Shizune-san…' Sakura recited to herself her fortitude slowly increasing as she channeled chakra into her fist before striking the ground and releasing all the energy at once. Gaara showed no surprise but was forced to leap back as the ground beneath him became jagged and upturned. Gaara snarled at the fact that he had yet to dye his sand red with the pinkette's blood.

Sakura tried to turn heel and run when she saw the sentient sand start to rush towards where she was standing. Sakura continued to avoid Gaara's pursuit for the better part of a minute before she felt a sudden jerk around her ankle that made her fall to the ground. To Sakura's growing horror she was being reeled in towards a grinning Gaara, not wanting to go down without a fight Sakura tried to throw another chakra enhanced haymaker when she was close enough but her fist was swallowed by a wisp of sand. The sand slowly crawled up the entirety of her arm all the way up to the shoulder.

"**Sand Coffin!"** Gaara's gravelly voice uttered with a sadistic glee as he called out the technique that would bring forth his victim's blood. The pressure of the sand quickly compressed down on Sakura's arm creating a sickening crunch that made many of the Genin up in the booth wince and write uncomfortably. Sakura's eyes slammed shut and her mouth opened to scream out in pain but nothing came out showing just how great the pain was. Gaara though was not sated and soon his sand started to advance on Sakura's body. Gaara would make sure that his _Mother_ was happy by giving her all of the blood she could ever hope. Then he would be loved.

The proctor had seen enough and knew that the pink haired girl was in no state to continue the fight from the demon from the Hidden Sand. She frowned seeing that Gaara would not be exercising any restraint meaning she would need to act. The proctor then fired a quick lightning release technique using the elemental advantage to force the sand to disperse momentarily. Using a _Shunshin_ to get to Sakura then to get her to the medics in the tunnel before Gaara tried to kill her once more the Kumo kunoichi reappeared on the field. "Winner by technical knockout, Gaara Sabaku!"

* * *

_Kage Booth_

"That boy is quite blood thirsty. He is your son correct, Kazekage-dono?" The Mizukage asked watching the replay of the end of the match with a frown across her usually smiling face. It was clear that Suna's Jinchuuriki had no restraint and was focused on killing something that could get him killed instead.

"Yes Gaara has always been like that but I can overlook the slight abnormalities in his way of thought because he more than makes up for it in raw power. He was trained to be a weapon just like all Jinchuuriki should be." The Kazekage said firmly letting his eyes close thus missing the nod he got from the Tsuchikage and the sour looks from the Hokage, Raikage and Mizukage.

"Hmph… Jinchuuriki can be used in other ways than a mindless weapon Kazekage. All this shows is that you have a loose cannon that can backfire at any moment while I have the perfect Jinchuuriki using normal training." The Raikage boasted truthfully but still the arrogance in his gruff voice was unmistakable. The Kazekage leaned back into his chair further meditating on the younger man's words.

"The topic of Jinchuuriki aside… who do we believe to be fit for a promotion thus far?" Mei asked trying to change the subject since Kiri had yet to locate the Rokubi and the Sanbi had yet to reform despite Yagura's death. Mei figured it would be best to further that topic for Kiri's sake.

"Though we have only seen one fight from each I believe Akatsuchi and Yugito would be strong candidates to be promoted to Chunin. Akatsuchi showed an excellent level of preparation and execution while Yugito was able to control the flow of battle." Minato said offer his own evaluation of the talent displayed so far. "While Lee despite his victory showed absolutely no tact and could have been easily killed by a seasoned Chunin. Gaara despite his impressive control over sand shows little restraint so more is needed before I can truly say."

The rest of the Kages nodded their head in agreement.

* * *

_Combat Field_

"The first match of bracket two will now commence. Karui versus Kankuro Sabaku… begin!" Genma proclaimed with a swift hand chop as a gesture to begin as well.

Karui allowed herself to grin maliciously at the war paint wearing puppeteer from the Village Hidden in the Sand. An eminent danger flashing across the red head's amber eyes as she armed herself with the sword that was resting on her back. Kankuro too plopped something in front of him, it was the object he had wrapped up on his back. The smug grin that Kankuro was giving Karui made her anger flare up violently. "Don't worry _Kuro-hime _after I cut up your pretty little face you can use that make up to cover the deformities!" Karui taunted Kankuro giving her sword a quick brandish.

Kankuro who was just as hot headed as Karui started to growl at the infuriating woman from the Land of Lightning. Karui's smirk widened seeing the twitch of Kankuro's brow telling her that her words were striking home. "That's it you flat chested bitch I am going to send you back to Kumo inside of a nice, warm body bag!" Kankuro responded with his own pointed yet true insult. Kankuro could have sworn he heard someone tell him in the form of rap that, that was the wrong move but shrugged it off. Kankuro smirked seeing how Karui's eyes became shadowed by her red hair.

"I am going to kill you! **Kumo Front Beheading!"**Karui's rage filled dash caught Kankuro by surprise since he thought the girl would be stationary. Acting fast Kankuro attached his chakra strings on to the back of large object in front of him. Karui's eyes widened went a puppet came ripping through the bindings with a blade protracted from its mouth aimed for her forehead. Bringer her sword up Karui parried the stab forcing Kankuro to pull his puppet _Crow_ back to keep some form of defense against Karui who obviously preferred close range combat. "Makeup and dolls, Kuro-hime, I can't say that I am all that surprised."

"I'll make you choke on those words Kumo trash, actually just die!" The crowd was baffled by why these two young ninja hated each other so much since all of the matches outside of Gaara's were rather tame. Kankuro had two of his fingers twitch slightly and the elbow joints on _Crow_ popped open and fired a dark purple sphere from each opened tube. Karui immediately indentified those spheres as poisonous and leapt back to avoid being swallowed up by the toxic fog. Kankuro with another slight inching of his fingers dislocated _Crow's _jaw and a plethora of kunai were fired from the puppet's gullet into the cloud of hazardous fog.

Karui who was a good few feet behind the cloud of poison heard the kunai being fired from Kankuro's doll as she so fondly called them and held her sword up using her training to deflect the kunai hence saving her from life as a pin cushion. Karui stopped her skillful movements when there was a lull in the kunai. Realizing that Kankuro was waiting for the fog to part Karui went on the offensive timing her jump perfectly to come down on Kankuro who was looking around for the red headed swordswoman. Karui's eyes gleamed with excitement feeling her victory growing near.

Kankuro's eyes narrowed, he could not find the foul mouthed red head from Kumo which he found odd seeing as there wasn't many places to hide in the arena. The puppeteer's danger senses went off and he looked up to see Karui falling down with the tip of her sword pointed directly at his shoulder. Cursing Kankuro quickly manipulated _Crow_ to not only defend him but call upon a hidden blade to stop the kunoichi's sword if only for a moment. Karui grinned since Kankuro's move was rather obvious and with a slight change in her grip she readjusted the angle at which her steel fell. **"Kumo Side Beheading!"**

With one quick slash Karui landed on her feet and a moment later the arm with the hidden blade on it fell to the ground cut clean off. Kankuro clicked his tongue on his teeth and went to repair the easy fix however a gleam out of the corner of his eye forced him to bring _Crow_ in front of him once more. Kankuro ducked quickly when he saw that it was Karui's blade that was threatening to behead him like it had already done to _Crow_. Kankuro was beginning to get nervous seeing as Karui was slowly getting closer and closer to him which would end with him losing.

Kankuro glanced around for the arm and head that he had lost to Karui's blade in hopes that he could somehow find them and get _Crow_ back to full functionality. His scavenge was cut premature when he looked down at the shinning point of Karui's sword at his neck. Kankuro silently cursed his luck, out of everyone in the tournament he was matched off against _her_ and she was a close range fighter to boot. Kankuro finding the bladed arm behind Karui managed not to smirk at his new chance for victory. Kankuro moved his hand in what he thought to be a discreet way however Karui saw it coming and grounded her heel down on his hand.

Kankuro groaned in pain feeling a few of the smaller bones in his hand being crushed underneath Karui's foot. Kankuro looked up defiantly only to wish he had not when he saw the smug smirk on her tanned face. Kankuro hissed lightly when he felt the edge of Karui's weapon cut into his skin just enough to draw the crimson liquid of life. "Give up _Kuro-hime_ or you will be the one going home in a body bag." Karui offered which only served to rile up Kankuro even more but only this time there was nothing he could do aside from conceding.

"I su-submit."

"Winner by verbal surrender, Karui!"

Karui quickly put away her sword and let a wide grin spread across her face as she basked under the crowd's admiration. Karui ran around the stadium once blowing kisses to the handsome men she found in the stands with no shame.

* * *

_Combatant Booth_

Samui slapped her palm against her face and looked away from the scene of her teammate making a fool of herself with obvious embarrassment. "I really wish Karui would be cool sometimes." Samui stated even temperedly getting a slight nod from her white haired squad mate who was looking down at Karui with a deadpan.

"But with how she acts it only makes you look cooler in comparison Samui-san." Naruto said with a small grin directed at the busty, blonde kunoichi. Yugito chuckled seeing Samui's eyes shimmer with appreciation. Yugito knew just how much her best friend valued the cool appearance and having someone else compliment her coolness was greatly appreciated.

Karui made her way back to the booth while Kankuro went to find his sensei in the crowd as the proctor called for the next combatants. Naomi being one of those combatants walked over to Naruto unsure of how this was going to go but determined to do it. "N-Nii-san I'd feel a lot better if you'd wish me luck…" Naomi muttered lowly looking down still somewhat uncomfortable with Naruto's intense gaze.

Naruto looked at the daughter of the Hokage whose head was bowed with an unreadable expression in play. Narumi watched on wondering just what Naruto would or wouldn't say since he and Naomi were never on friendly terms. "Luck should have no affect on your battle. The work you put into getting to this point should be more than enough to get you through this should it not?"

Naomi's eyes widened and her head flung up to see Naruto standing there with his eyes closed and no facial emotion what so ever. Eventually Naomi nodded her head with a small smile since Naruto didn't insult her. Sure he didn't do what she asked but he did reassure her in his own way. The message?

Trust in your training…

* * *

_Combat Field_

TenTen stood there glaring at Naomi for reasons that Naomi could only speculate since she had not even met the girl before the exams. TenTen who was staring holes through Naomi was going into a whole inner monologue. 'A girl like her is given everything just because she had the right parents. Power, popularity, a lavish life style those were all things Kami bestowed upon her and her siblings. While my father and I are forced to scrape by with the funds he gets from the weapons shop. It took me hours upon hours to perfect my aim and now it is time to show everyone watching just how true my path is!'

The moment the word go left the Suna proctor's lips TenTen had already began her barrage of kunai and shuriken each with a terrifying accuracy. Naomi's eyes widened not expecting the bun wearing kunoichi to be so gung ho with her attack but none the less she cart wheeled over to the left and out of the space of the weapons barrage, flashy yes but effective. Naomi didn't have time to press forward as a second barrage was already raining down on her forcing her to retreat further along the field. Naomi silently wondered just how many kunai and shuriken TenTen had seeing her already armed with more.

"Stay still would you!" TenTen growled showing her frustration getting Naomi to blink from the audacity behind her request. Focusing back in Naomi raced forward avoid a handful of kunai that flew by her cutting a few strands of her vibrant red hair. Naomi now close enough threw a closed fist towards TenTen jaw however training with a team of Taijutsu experts paid off for the clan less kunoichi. Leaning back at the last moment TenTen forced Naomi's fist to soar harmlessly over her face before she quickly brought her knee up striking an unprepared Naomi dead in the stomach. The pain tolerance developed in training with her mother helped Naomi shrug off the strike and score a slug straight to the side of TenTen's skull.

Frowning at the outcome of the short lived Taijutsu exchange TenTen decided to stick to her strength, her weapons. Rolling a scroll over her forearm TenTen unsealed two Fuma Shuriken and held one in each hand. Naomi who was near the trees that they put into the area quickly took shelter behind the thick wooden trunk as the sound of the large shuriken thumped and imbedded themselves in the wood. TenTen frowned at seeing Naomi hide in the woods but quickly smiled having a thought on how to draw out the hiding Leaf kunoichi. TenTen pulled out a new scroll and held it horizontally directing it at the trees.

From the scroll came a large metal sphere with metal spikes protruding from every few inches on the metal sphere. With a small yell and a pulse of chakra the dangerous metal orb flew at the trees bouncing off the tree trunk showing an explosive note already sizzling…

_Boom_

The metal sphere exploded in an impressive display of fireworks completely destroying the trees that were nearby. A shadow raced from the wreckage one that the crowd, Genin, Jounin, Kage and TenTen all picked up on. TenTen was already in pursuit refusing to give up the advantage she had gained. Both TenTen and Naomi came to a sliding stop in unison only with TenTen holding yet another scroll in her arms. **"Ninja Art: Metallic Dragon!" **TenTen stomped on the scroll and out came a large dragon completely black consisting of shuriken and kunai. The dragon exploded forth the metal scratching on metal making it seem like a shrill roar as it slammed down on Naomi.

Naomi's family minus Naruto were all displaying a great amount of concern when the dragon rose up showing Naomi riddled with kunai and shuriken. TenTen smirked as the dragon lost its form showering an unused portion of the field in ninja tools. Just as TenTen was about to proclaim her win Naomi went up in a poof of smoke. TenTen looked around in alarm seeing her _defeated_ opponent no longer in place. Naomi appeared behind tenTen and swept her legs out from under her causing the weapons user to fall onto her stomach. Naomi followed up with a swift yet devastating axe kick straight to the center of TenTen's spine getting the girl to cry out in pain. Naomi then kicked TenTen in the ribs getting her to roll a good ten yards away coughing up small amounts of blood.

TenTen glared up at Naomi from her position on the dirt floor of the arena panting hard as blood trickled from the corners of her lips. Standing up with a determined cry TenTen threw another wave of shuriken with great velocity towards Naomi. Not being able to get away from the wide wave of brought her hand in front of her. TenTen watched in shock as the shuriken all missed their marks by mere millimeters.

* * *

_In The Stands_

"Impossible TenTen never misses her mark! She has always had perfect aim!" Gai shouted in disbelief matching the emotion of Neji who was seated nearby with Team Eight who had been sitting by the Jounin since the start of the exams. Gai looked over to Kushina who had a knowing grin on her face.

"Come now Gai surely you didn't think Minato-kun wouldn't help Naomi-chan with her Wind Release did you?" Kushina's grin grew seeing Gai's look of disbelief and with a small pump of her fist she shouted out for her daughter.

"Finish her Naomi-chan!"

* * *

_Combat Field_

'I m-missed but I never miss! It must have been a fluke I can miss again! I won't give up after coming so far.' With a new determination TenTen threw another barrage of kunai at Naomi and once more the wave of the kunai was too wide for Naomi to avoid. TenTen watched with a keen eye refusing to miss again on her pride as a markswoman.

"I've had enough of this TenTen. I have more fights to worry about good match." Naomi went through a few hand signs and gathered her chakra for her first and only Ninjutsu of the match. **"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough."** TenTen's eyes widened as the kunai were blown back at her by the strong wall of wind created by Naomi. Bracing herself TenTen was cut by a few of the kunai while some bashed against her putting her in a slight daze which Naomi used to create a Shadow Clone and in unison clone and original threw themselves at TenTen with spin kicks crushing their shins against opposite sides of TenTen's cranium in tandem.

The proctor went over to check on TenTen before stating the results which everyone could see. "Winner by knockout, Naomi Namikaze-Uzumaki!" Naomi gave a slight bow to the crowd before returning to the booth.

* * *

_Combatant Booth_

"I knew you would win Naomi-chan!" Narumi chirped brightly immediately hugging her sister in congratulations. Naomi nodded happily returning the hug while looking over to Naruto hoping to get something from the man she wanted approval from. Naruto gazed at her intently and just when she thought he would do nothing he nodded in respect for what he had seen. And how could he not in comparison to the other kunoichi of his village. He made note to ask Itachi if all girls were fan girls when he was a Genin as well.

Genma called for Fu and some mummy from the small village known as _Otogakure_ which had an interesting contraption on his arm. The mummy got a small pat on the back from his shinobi teammate as he walked down the stairs. Fu let a sad frown come to her face seeing her teammates shun her and with that she followed the Oto mummy. Fu paused feeling a hand on her shoulder turning around slowly she was met instantly with Naruto's blue eyes. "You got this Fu-chan."

Fu's orange eyes brightened visibly hearing someone supporting her and the fact that it was Naruto only made it that much better. It was this reassurance in front of everyone that made her feel even more sure about his words on the training ground. Fu acted on instinct wrapping Naruto in a quick hug before running off not giving him a chance to respond in kind.

Narumi and Naomi looked at their brother in shock since they had never seen him give any form of affection to anyone. Sasuke glared at Naruto still waiting to tear through the first obstacle in his path. Yuna glared down at the smiling Fu jealous that she had been able to hug Naruto something she wanted to do. Naruto ignored all the different emotions in the booth and stroked the back of Suisei's head earning a small thank you through the _Soul Link_.

* * *

_Combat Field_

Fu raced forward the burst of positive emotion from Naruto's support fueling her attack style which may or may not be a good thing. Chomei watched Fu with a small grin on his bug face glad to see what he saw as a daughter so happy. As soon as Fu got within a couple of feet of Dosu the Oto mummy brought his arm up and flicked his fingers against the contraption. **"Melody Arm: Tune."** The muffled statement from Dosu was drown out from the strange melody that came from the metal on his arm. Dosu watched as the chakra infused music pulsed out towards the racing Jinchuuriki.

When the melodious tune invaded Fu's ears she immediately halted her advance with a small cry of pain she leapt as far back from the bandaged wrapped shinobi. Fu went down to one knee and dabbed the blood that was trickling out of her ears while looking at Dosu inquisitively. 'What was that?' **"That Fu-girl was music infused with chakra. He used sound to attack your body. An easy counter to that is plugging your ears with your own chakra."** Fu mentally nodded thankful for her biju's advice and guidance. Fu did as Chomei suggested but came up with a plan that would make Dosu think she was still vulnerable.

Rushing back in with a determined expression only faster Fu raced in with a fist hooked to strike Dosu against his bandage covered cheek. Dosu shook his head at the futile effort and brought his arm again only this time his other hand was holding a kunai. **"Melody Arm: Concerto." **This sound was different from the first because instead of a singular note this sound felt like an entire orchestra. Fu paused and let her body tense before uttering a fake cry of pain to lure her enemy in looked at Dosu with a mock pained expression as her orange eyes shimmered with anticipation.

Dosu took one more step towards Fu and that was all the mint haired kunoichi needed for her plan to be sprung. Fu threw her arms at Dosu and with a small grin on her pretty face that had Dosu raising an eyebrow in curiosity. **"Nanabi Secret Art: First Hive!" **At Fu's command and by proxy Chomei, the king off all insect life beetles were flung out at the startled mummy. These beetles were even more durable and powerful than the Aburame's bug partner. Dosu waved his arm at the hive of insects getting them fly away of being swatted by the metal device wrapped around his arm.

The once void of emotion eyes of Dosu were now filled with irritation and anger all of which was directed at his opponent from _Takigakure_. Dosu quickly jumped in front of a kneeling Fu with his arm raised over her head with a grin straining the fabric wrapped around his face. "This is the end for you girlie… **Melody Arm: Grand Finale!"** Dosu dropped the metal contraption on top of Fu's head making her wince from the impact but to his shock there was no sound coming from his _Melody Arm_. "What's happening? Why is there no sound!?" Dosu shouted which came out muffled.

Fu grinned from under his arm looking right up ay him with the look of someone who had just executed a plan perfectly. "It looks like my hive has nested inside of that musical appendage of yours." Dosu looked down to see the beetles from earlier falling out of each hole in the metal effectively plugging up the musical device. Dosu moved to kick the bug girl for ruining his moves but found his legs to be immobile. "And that would be my **Nanabi Secret Art: Second Hive." **Dosu looked down to see two huge centipedes wrapped around his legs coming from the ground bellow him keeping him in place. When Dosu looked up Fu was gone and then his world went black.

"Checkmate mummy dude." Fu said with a grin as she moved her hand from the back of his neck letting him fall to the ground in a blissful state of unconsciousness. The centipedes retracted back into the ground and the beetles disappeared into the tree line. The sight of an air force of bugs was enough to make a few of the civilians watching skin crawl. The proctor went over to check on Dosu and saw he was suffering from extreme chakra exhaustion so he hurriedly called for the medics. Fu looked up to see Naruto giving her a small smile that made her blush resulting in some teasing from Chomei.

* * *

_Combat Field_

_**A Few Minutes in to the Fight**_

Yuna watched as the blue sky overhead slowly changed and morphed into the black sky of the night. Yuna blinked with a blank expression as smoke rose up into the air showing a house on fire with screams of panic permeating the air. This sight was something familiar for the diver helmet wearing kunoichi from Iwa but didn't startle her one bit. Yuna watched as a small child ran into the burning home with tears filling the small child's eyes. The small pond on the side of the house ran black with the soot from the ash of the burnt house.

Yuna took a deep breath and turned her back on the raging inferno taking a few steps away allowing her to look into the star filled sky with a longing gaze in her eyes. The focused look was replaced by a faraway look, a look of love but also a look of loss in her gray eyes. Yuna shook her head getting the focused look back in her eyes as she remembered just where she was and what she was doing. "This is the Genjutsu you chose for me? You don't even have enough control to show me my true nightmare just the beginning."

Yuna allowed a mischievous smirk to cross her beautiful face as she held a single hand sign her own chakra flaring up from use. **"Demonic Illusion: Mirror Heaven and Earth Change!" **Kin blinked once because one moment she was moving in to kill the Iwa chick who she trapped in her Genjutsu then the next she was walking into a dark room going deeper and deeper. She didn't know why she was walking further in but she just couldn't help it, like something was drawing her in, enthralling her. It was the literal fly walking into the spider's parlor situation but with the art of illusions.

Kin gasped in fright when she came to look at the back of the man who frequented her nightmares. She questioned herself for the reason of his appearance as she tried to sneak off before he noticed her however the man's head turned mechanically showing his gold eyes and pale skin then unnerved the Oto Genin. This man was the leader of _Otogakure_, one of the legendary Sannin, Orochimaru. The man had taken her sister figure Tayuya from her when they were children and he hated him ever since. But there was always that lingering fear that the snake man would come back and take her as well to do Kami knows what.

Then Orochimaru gave Kin a disturbing grin that made the kunoichi take a step back and to her horror her back collided with a wall preventing her escape. Orochimaru slowly morphed from a man into a giant white snake with the small gold eyes but purple rings around those golden eyes. The snake bared its fangs and with one long hiss it launched itself and at a screaming Kin and then everything went black. Yuna strolled up to Kin with her hands folded behind her back and poked her with her toe a few times getting no response. "Uh I think she's out…"

Genma sweat dropped as he cleared his throat. "Winner by knockout, Yuna Neira!"

And that was day one…

* * *

**Review Response: **Naruto did not sign the Toad Contract. Not sure what that review was about. I am still not sure if I will have Suisei be able to perform some of the Sharingan techniques but I am leaning towards yes. They will have shared vision **IF **Naruto activates the Rinnegan, which hasn't been decided yet. I can assure you Naruto is their son, no matter how much he may dislike it; the black hair is just a recessive gene.

Yes I had Naruto turn away all help that would tie him in with his family. Naruto declined the contract civily because he was in a hurry to go to Kurohane. (That was the shadow over the sun thing, the summoning.) This is Naruto's drive to become powerful on his own and separate him. It is also the constant battle he has with his pride. A problem for all Uchiha…

Naruto is not going soft on his family people. He is just realizing some things but that does not correlate with forgiving it is just understanding. Ya know, the whole 'I understand but I still don't like it' kind of thing. Yup I kept Tsunade out of Chapter 6 it kind of goes with the 'if you push Naruto he pushes back' line.

The Salamander Contract seems to be popular eh? That could work since they wouldn't have a summoner… I think I can make it work but we shall see.

The pairing with is fluid with how my whim goes with the story so I can't say for sure what I will have as the pairing. But in the end it will most likely be a multi-pairing.

* * *

**AN: Here is the next chapter and let me tell you I didn't expect it to be so long! Any who here is the first series of fights. Next chapter Naruto re-enters the limelight as the village pariah, the Hokage's son and an Uchiha! How will Naruto handle wearing so many hats? Don't know but we'll find out. Thank you for the overly positive reviews and your thoughts. You have no idea how easier that makes it to write this! Leave a review and have a nice day! Ja Ne- Matt**

**Also I have taken down two of my stories due to author dissatisfaction. Some people may not like it but reading them I just don't like the difference in quality. I apologize for the inconvenience. **


	8. Brackets Three and Four! Survive the Cut

**Disclaimer: Matt does not own Naruto in any fashion of the word. If only then I could be a happy man. That is the dream…**

**Don't forget the Review Response section at the end for response to your thoughts and questions.**

Naruto Uchiha: The Prophet with the Cursed Eyes

* * *

_Combatant Booth_

Narumi stood at the rail her eyes glancing around the stadium frantically in search for the sight of her wayward brother. Not having any success with the search a frown came across her face as she tightened her grip around the railing. Narumi wanted nothing more to show Naruto just how strong she had become, more than even Kushina could even imagine but it would seem that Naruto had other plans. Even if Naruto was late she just couldn't believe that he would miss his match especially consider who his opponent was meant to be. She believed her brother would show up. Narumi sighed and smiled sadly at Naomi who knew exactly what she was thinking.

Sasuke too took notice of Naruto's uncharacteristic absence but unlike the sorrow Narumi felt he was feeling even more arrogant than he was moments ago. Sasuke crossed his arms over his chest and closed his eyes with a victorious smirk on his face. 'I knew that loser wouldn't show up to fight me. The power I gained was meant to kill that man; it would surely be enough to kill that loser. Hokage's son or not I am still an Uchiha!' Sasuke assured himself ignoring the fact that Ino was trying to hang from his arm seeing as how her long time rival was finally out of the picture.

With one last look out for her brother Narumi relented on her search and hopped down onto the field at the proctor's behest. She channeled some chakra into her ears to tune out the arrogant ramble of the Oto shinobi, not that he noticed. When Narumi caught the proctor's questioning glance she killed the chakra filling her ears and nodded her head slightly. The proctor had an amused smile on her face knowing just what Narumi had done but said nothing. "The first match of Bracket Three begins now!" The proctor exclaimed getting a roar of approval from the anxious crowd.

Zaku couldn't help the cocky grin cross his face when he finally got to face his opponent in the tournament. What Zaku was looking at was nothing more than a spoiled princess that would be an easy win. Zaku started to laugh rather boisterously with a firm shake of his head getting Narumi to tilt her head in confusion. "I can't believe this. They gave me one of the princesses to fight. Well who am I to spit in the face of a gift. I hope you are ready to lose girlie!" Zaku shouted with a dark grin on his face.

"Why are most guys just like you? They are idiots with superiority complexes that usually die early because they overestimate themselves. Where oh where have all the real men gone? I mean look at you. Nothing special…" Narumi said almost disappointedly with a small noise of disapproval. The entire crowd went 'ooh' at the rather stinging insult directed to the raven haired shinobi from _Otogakure_. Zaku went red faced in anger at the kunoichi's insults but couldn't come up with an intelligent response of his own. Snarling viciously Zaku opened his palms displaying two small black holes in the middle of both of his palms.

"I does see why it matters for a self-righteous bitch like yourself who is about to be dead. Say goodbye!" Zaku shouted with anger as he started to channel the chakra through the tubes in his arms that were implanted into him by Orochimaru to try and create something akin to a living puppet. Narumi narrowed her eyes a faint blue glow started to take shape inside of the black pits in the middle of his palms. **"Wind Release: Decapitating Airwaves!" **The gathered chakra burst from the holes in his palms thrusting forth a sharp wind wave that forced Narumi to retreat as the wind slammed down in front of her cutting into the ground.

'This is ridiculous… the attacks aren't all that strong it is just the number of them that are keeping me from closing in on him.' Narumi assessed the situation continuing to avoid the airwaves that the Oto teen was blasting out while cackling manically. There was a pause in the waves coming at her, taking that chance Narumi raced forward hoping to score a few meaningful blows during the pause. It turned out to be a mistake because just before Narumi could reach Zaku the blue in has increased to be twice as large. 'I won't be able to dodge that in time. **Ninja Art: Shield Mane!' **

"**Wind Release: Severe Decapitating Airwaves!" **With his triumphant call a much larger and faster wave of wind blasted towards an incoming Narumi. Just as it looked like the deadly wind was about to cut Narumi up her blonde hair wrapped around her protecting her from the deadly impact behind the wind technique. Zaku gnashed down on his teeth seeing the _Konohagakure_ kunoichi protecting herself from his most lethal attack. Narumi released the technique silently thanking her perverted godfather for teaching her a few of the hair techniques he had developed over the years. Letting her face come back into play Narumi sent Zaku an eerie grin as she raced forward again.

Zaku's eyes closed in pain as his jaw snapped back behind the surprising strength in Narumi's uppercut blow. Despite managing to stay on his feet Zaku lurched forward when there was a sudden impact in his gut. Looking up for Narumi with clear alarm on his once cocky face Zaku cursed out loud not finding anything. Narumi already on the boy's left brought down the point of her elbow on the back of his head making him crumble down onto the ground. "You thought I was a weak little girl but in reality the one who was weak was you. You couldn't even force me to use an elemental jutsu." Narumi said looking down at Zaku with a frown before sighing and putting a more comfortable smile on her face as she waved at the cheering crowd.

"Winner by knockout, Narumi Namikaze-Uzumaki!" The proctor shouted out under the clapping and cheers.

* * *

_In The Stands_

A large man with a mane of white hair was standing against the wall in the very upper ring of the stadium with a large grin on his face. "That a girl. I knew keeping your hair long would work out for you!" Jiraiya praised one of his protégés with a giant grin on his face. If the white haired hermit had it his way he would be doing his _research_ but Minato pretty much threatening to use him as practice for the _Flying Thunder God_ made Jiraiya agree to hang around for security purposes. Damn that blonde haired student of his was a persuasive one!

Sakura just got down clapping for her teammate in her seat near the Jounin from _Konohagakure_. Or she was clapping as well as one could do with one arm in a full cast. Once Narumi had left the field Sakura turned to face her female sensei with a curious expression in play. "Kushina-sensei how did Narumi do that with her hair?" Sakura then subconsciously ran her uninjured hand through her pink hair thinking about the technique.

Kushina who had been cheering enthusiastically for her daughter turned to her injured student with a proud smile. "That's an easy one Sakura! Narumi's godfather invented a number of techniques using chakra and hair. That is why both Naomi and Narumi keep their hair long."

Asuma took the dying cigarette and snuffed it out on the arm of the chair and moved to place another cigarette between his lips getting a disapproving frown from Kurenai. Asuma looked over across the way to see a hesitant Choji being chewed out for being afraid to get his hands dirty while Shikamaru was shaking his head probably muttering a troublesome. "I can see one way that Choji can win this thing…"

"How is that Asuma-sensei?" Kiba asked really hoping that Choji would kick some serious ass out there.

"If his opponent makes the one mistake you don't make around any Akimichi."

* * *

_Combat Field_

"Fenri versus Choji Akimichi…. Begin!"

With the proctor moving out of the way the boy with red scarf from Taki looked at his opponent and he couldn't be any more underwhelmed. The boy took the end of his scarf and wrapped it around his neck tighter in preparation for what he presumed to be a quick and decisive battle between he and the Akimichi heir. Choji was feeling incredibly nervous never before having so many pairs of eyes observing every move he made. The nerves were so great that Choji couldn't even find it within him to reach down into his bag of chips for a snack. "You don't look so tough. As matter of fact you seem to care more about your next meal than this tournament eh, fatty?"

And that was the mistake he couldn't make…

As if a metaphorical switch was flipped the once timid eyes of the husky Genin from the Hidden Leaf become two raging infernos burning with determination to prove that he was not fat but simply big boned. If Choji could see Lee at the moment he would see him cheering on his comrade with a similar look in his eyes. Choji took the bag of chips and emptied it into his open mouth. Crumpling the bag and tossing it away Choji slapped his cheeks getting a little color in them as well as getting a more focused look.

"I am not fat, I am chubby!" Choji shouted passionately before dropping into a fighting stance while gathering up his physical energy. **"Partial Multi-size Technique: Arm!" **Choji's right arm swelled up to a gigantic stature. Fenri gulped seeing just how angry Choji had become due to one simple word. Choji brought his large fist over Fenri who became completely overshadowed by the silhouette of Choji's expanded fist making him even more nervous. With a determined cry Choji drove his fist down encompassing a large amount of space forcing Fenri to leap away lest he be flattened under Choji's righteous fist.

The boy looked over to see a fist imprint on the ground breathed out a huge sigh of relief knowing he avoided going back to two dimensions. Getting back to his feet he looked to his left and found Choji rolling towards him like a boulder going downhill. Letting out a groan Fenri proceeded to run around in a serpentine motion hoping to lose the ball form Choji but with each zig or zag Choji was behind him and gaining. Fenri ran towards a wall with all intent and purpose on climbing it however in his rush he failed to maintain control of his chakra and slipped.

It was that slip that let Choji plough into Fenri grinding him against the wall making the boy cry out in pain. Choji pushed into the wall with all of his momentum creating a spherical indent in the previously flat wall. After an entire minute of rotating against the wall Choji stopped rolling and dropped back to normal size leaving an unconscious _Takigakure_ shinobi in his wake. Choji looked down at him with that same fiery expression from the beginning of the match and thumped his thumb against his chest. "I am not fat! I am chubby." With one last nod Choji walked away from the unconscious Taki teen leaving the proctor to proclaim him the winner.

* * *

_Combatant Booth_

Ino who took enough time from fussing over Sasuke to watch Choji's first fight was now left with her jaw hanging so wide a bug could easily come zooming in. She was in awe of how ferociously that her chubby teammate had fought. The Yamanaka heiress had thought for sure that Choji would lose not making her look so bad in case she had lost but all of that was irrelevant now that Choji won. 'Oh no, what if I am the only one on our team to lose in the first round, that would be humiliating!' Ino thought while bringing her thumb to her mouth and chewing on it nervously.

Oblivious to their teammate's plight were the Nara and Akimichi heirs who were chatting happily. Or at least Shikamaru was while Choji was blushing under his best friend's praise. Choji waved his hand as if to fend off the flattering words when he turned to the team's kunoichi with a warm smile. "Good luck out there Ino." Ino just brushed off Choji's wish and walked down the steps leading to the field of combat. "What's with her?" Choji asked his smart friend returning to munching on his snacks to restore the chakra he had used during his short battle with Fenri from _Takigakure_.

Cleaning out his ear with his pinkie finger and flicking it away with a lazy shrug of his shoulders Shikamaru answered. "Who knows women are troublesome, especially the blonde ones." Shikamaru then buried his hands in his pockets waiting for the next match to begin.

His rather blunt statement got an angry click of the teeth from a certain sandy haired blonde kunoichi from the Village Hidden in the Sand. Narumi said nothing because her focus was on searching for the still absent Naruto.

* * *

_Combat Field_

Ino stood across from Haku observing… no examining her with an intensive gaze that did not bother the ice user at all. You may think that Ino was trying to form some form of strategy after being around Shikamaru but then you would be wrong. Ino was comparing her looks to those of the ice princess from _Kirigakure. _She compared everything about them from Haku's long raven locks to her own blonde hair to the nail polish each was using. Haku simply ignored the look and retained the pleasant smile she normally wore on her face. Ino finally came to a conclusion. 'Kami she is gorgeous… No! I can't be thinking that! I'll beat her!'

Releasing a faint growl Ino reached behind her into her ninja tool pouch for a handful of shuriken which she unleashed on Haku. Haku reacted instantly by disabling the flying, black stars with her projectile of choice, senbon. Gritting her teeth behind her pursed lips Ino reached for another tool, a kunai and threw it directly at Haku. Haku thinking nothing of the attack threw another senbon but that was when she saw the sizzling explosive note tied to the loop on the kunai. The explosion kicked up a layer of dust that a swirling wind turned into a cloud of dust that encompassed the entire field.

Ino brought her forearm up to cover her mouth keeping her from inhaling any dust from her explosive kunai. Ino's eyes darted left and right searching for Haku who she had lost when the kunai exploded starting the whole thing. Ino eyes went wide when a flash caught her attention making her stumble back avoiding a downward slash. Ino saw that there was a blade that looked like ice with a serrated back. The handle of the blade was a dark grey with a light blue stripe running down each side with a snowflake as a pommel. 'W-what is that?'

Haku was now standing in front of Ino with a frigid gaze on her face a stark contrast from the welcoming smile she began the match with her clothing slightly burned from the intensity of the explosion. Haku knew the only reason the female Yamanaka was able to avoid the attack was because of the way that the light reflected off of her blade of ice. Haku was hoping that the cloud of dust would remove that problem but all the cloud did was hide their battle from the eyes of the stadium. 'Zabuza-sama always told me to keep things hidden as long as possible. I need to finish this before the stadium becomes aware of my blade.'

"**Snowfall: Sheer Cold." **Haku held her sword, _Snowfall_ backwards changing the flow of her chakra changing the blade form a solid ice to that of a snowy wind confined to one space. Haku raced forward at a speed that overwhelmed the kunoichi from Konoha's Team Ten and brought the snowy sword across her stomach. One cut appeared followed by a second that was spread from the first in a straight line. In the end three red segments opened up on Ino's stomach that iced over from the low temperature of the sword. Ino fell on her stomach as her body temperature dropped; Haku threw a senbon into her neck putting her in an unconscious state.

That was when the cloud of dust first kicked up from the explosive note cleared revealing the ice princess standing over the unconscious Ino Yamanaka. The results were clear that Haku had defeated her opponent even if none could see how it was done. "Winner by knockout, Haku Yuki!"

* * *

_In The Stands_

"Awh man Ino lost..." Sakura said sadly looking down at Haku who she had to admit was very pretty. During the time on the bridge Sakura was not able to see the young Yuki's face but she had to admit she was pretty now that she had. Despite Ino being her biggest rival in a number of things Sakura still wished for her success unless it directly affected her, humans are selfish like that.

"Now, now Sakura there is no need to hide your happiness behind fake words. " The scarecrow of the group chided his pink haired student still reading his Icha Icha book despite the action that was going on in front of him. Sakura glared at the Jounin with gravity defying hair for his words that were sadly true not that she would ever admit it.

Kakashi looked up sensing said glare and eye smiled only serving to infuriate the daughter of the council woman further. Kakashi then watched on with a morbid expression as a kunai pierced his little orange book and pinned it against a pillar a few rows back. Kakashi glanced over fearfully at the Uzumaki woman who had done it to find her hair swaying like it was on fire. Kakashi whimpered piteously as Kushina cracked her knuckles menacingly before dragging the fearful Hatake away for a behavior correction. This action got laughs from the Jounin gathered as well as their Genin.

Unbeknownst to all of them the special tutor, Ebisu snuck over to the book and took it before slinking away to indulge his perverted nature.

* * *

_Combat Field_

Genma bit down on his senbon as he glanced at the boy wearing dress clothing and the busty kunoichi from _Kumogakure_. Genma then took a second glance at Kakugyo or more specifically at what the boy chose to wear for the fight he was about to get into. However, Genma shrugged it off since his friend Gai and his young protégé wore something much more revolting. "Kakugyo versus Samui… begin!"

Kakugyo leaned back limbering himself up taking satisfaction when he heard something in his spine crack in a good way. Turning his eyes back to Samui he gave an excited grin as his eyes lit up with anticipation. "I really hope you can give me a good fight Samui-san!" Kakugyo cracked his knuckles and straightened his yellow tie out before dropping into a loose combat stance. To most in the stands it looked riddled with holes but that was what Kakugyo wanted since he would be able to counter and counter viciously when his opponent would strike for the false openings he was creating purposefully.

Samui stood there keeping her cool as she tried to dissect her opponent from _Kirigakure's _combat stance. It was easy to find flaws in them too easy if she had to guess her guess would be that it was a lure of sorts. Taking a calming breathe Samui decided to keep to her strengths instead of charging into a possible ambush without any previous knowledge. His demeanor spoke of the upmost confidence in his strength the kunoichi from the _Land of Lightning_ could tell that much. The problem was guessing if that confidence had a base or if it was groundless confidence. "Likewise..."

Kakugyo let out a deep chuckle nodding in complete agreement before rushing towards an immobile Samui. Reaching the kunoichi Kakugyo threw a straight jab at Samui's throat. Samui swayed to the left before attacking with her own short whip-like kick to Kakugyo's waist forcing his to fall back a few steps. Not ready to throw in the towel yet Kakugyo raced forward and fired off another flurry of rapid fist strikes forcing Samui to bring up her guard not able to evade all of the attacks. Samui ducked under one of Kakugyo's over extended fist and retaliated with a quick hook to Kakugyo's cheek making his head turn with the direction of the blow.

The agile blow did nothing to knock the battle happy grin off of Kakugyo's face in fact in only served to widen the grin. Kakugyo's gripped Samui's fist and flipped the kunoichi over his shoulder but Samui was flexible enough to land on her feet. However Kakugyo's kept his grip wrenching Samui's arm into an uncomfortable position before sending a jostling kick into her lower spine. Samui rolled across the ground unable to brace herself due to the Kiri teen's grip on her hand that wasn't released till it was too late. Kakugyo giggled to himself as the thrill of battle started to pump more and more blood through his body.

Samui unleashed the tanto that was latched onto the swell of her back hoping to use her prowess with her tanto to create an advantage. Samui waited as Kakugyo's closed in yet again with a fist ready to deal more damage to the kunoichi however Samui had her tanto readied this time. Kakugyo smirked as his fist neared Samui's pretty face however Samui slashed out with her tanto halting the progress of the incoming haymaker. Everyone watched as the small blade lodged itself in between one of the well dressed teen's knuckles but to the shock of almost all present the blade didn't cut his skin.

'W-what? The blade didn't even cut the first layer of his skin. The only time this has happened was when Bee-sensei used the Hachibi's iron hide which is to be expected but this guy's skin can stop my blade?' The usually cool Samui was momentarily shaken from what her eyes were relaying to her brain.

* * *

_Combatant Booth_

Omoi blinked before peering down at Samui's blade which was being pushed against Kakugyo's hand as was shown by the skin pushing with the tanto but there was no laceration of any size. "What's going on? Samui has always taken care of her equipment. There is no way she let blade become dull. No way…" Omoi asked his red haired partner rolling his lollipop between his teeth in a contemplative gesture.

Yugito and Nibi were unsure of what they were witnessing but Yugito was sure that it wasn't because Samui was carrying faulty equipment. Samui would rather be caught doing something embarrassing than allowing her equipment to fall into a state of disarray. 'That guy has some sort of trick to him…'

Sasuke too was displaying his disbelief by tightening his grip around the rail to the point that his knuckles went white from the strength behind the grip. The Uchiha's _Sharingan_ glaring brightly at the Kiri teen in hopes of unraveling the mystery being presented but ultimately finding nothing but a growing sense of frustration for his efforts. 'Just what is he?'

Shikamaru who was standing next to the fuming Uchiha just sighed as was the norm with a slight shake of his head with an annoyed sigh coming from his mouth. "It seems even more troublesome people are appearing. I really don't want to fight that kind of guy." The Nara who had no problem engaging in sloth like behavior let his thoughts be known.

Naomi glanced down at the still grinning Kakugyo with a rather serious look on her normally easy going face. "It just goes to show you that there are all kinds of shinobi in this world." Naomi said rather wisely as she watched Samui try to comprehend what she was facing. Her words got a nod of agreement from her sister.

The other two shinobi hailing from the Village Hidden in the Mist opted for silence not wanting to spoil their teammate's theatrics. Something they sadly had come to expect from the well dressed shinobi.

* * *

_Combat Field_

Samui tried to put more force behind her tanto in hopes that the added pressure would break through her opponent's strong defense. Kakugyo shook his head at the futility of the kunoichi's effort to cut him up. Only seen to the eyes of the Kage watching and those on the field a sudden burst of light yellow energy knocked the _Kumogakure _kunoichi's tanto into the air. Acting upon the shock of what happened Kakugyo lashed out with a quick kick that Samui managed to avoid by instantly leaping back when she was disarmed. Samui furrowed her brown never seeing anything like she had just witnessed. Samui readied a kunai with an explosive tag wrapped around the hilt knowing that without more information her chances of winning were slim at best.

Frowning with concentration Samui tossed the kunai the Kiri shinobi who no doubt so the attack coming but did nothing to erase the grin he had sported since the initial moments of the match. Kakugyo leaped back when his back came in contact with a tree that he had failed to notice, his eyes reflecting a brief startle when the kunai reached him and rung the arena with a resounding bang. Samui waited for the area of impact to clear with a calm demeanor but on the inside she was waiting anxiously to see if the last attack bared any results.

The smoke cleared and chuckles came from the area where the well dressed shinobi from _Kirigakure _was seen. When the smoke from the fire cleared Kakugyo was seen with his arms crossed over his chest with one eye opened looking around wildly. Samui looked to see that the tree around him was unscathed showing that he did indeed take the blast from the explosive note. To her silent ire Kakugyo's flimsy black dress shirt was not even ripped or singed so the question was how, Samui didn't have the answer. Kakugyo blew on his hands childishly in an effort to rile up the poised kunoichi.

"Man oh man that one stung something fierce. That is some high quality equipment you have there lady." Kakugyo said with a sing song voice as he dropped himself back into a loose combat stance. Samui's eyes narrowed at the shinobi for his nonchalance but he seemed rather passive as well. Samui could use that because without being pushed she was allotted more time to try and solve the riddle across from her. Samui finally realized that it was not confidence that had the teen from her so loose but arrogance. Arrogance and passiveness meant that the boy would be very susceptible to defeat.

"If I can't deal physical damage in that way then why not try alternative means…" Samui closed one of her eyes and held her fingers in a circular motion. Bringing her one eye to the self made scope she positioned her hand which was pointed like the barrel of a gun so that the grinning Kakugyo was directly in her crosshairs. The two fingers she had pointed started to glow from the tips alerting Kakugyo as to impending danger. **"Lightning Release: Flash Transfer." **There was a bright flash that blurred Kakugyo's vision however hearing the sound of crackling he rolled to the left and not a moment too soon as the bolt of lightning ripped through the tree before striking the stadium wall.

Kakugyo let out a sigh of relief at being able to avoid being coursed by a large amount of volts, not a pleasant feeling he was sure. Kakugyo looked up and groaned when he saw Samui aiming at once again. Scrambling to his feet as Samui fired another shot Kakugyo ran off in a circular motion making it difficult for Samui to keep an accurate shot on his springing figure. Samui tried to aim ahead of Kakugyo but he would make a slight hesitation in his step to throw off her aim making her frown with annoyance. To Samui's eye Kakugyo seemed to slow down after a while of running urging her to take her shot, which she did.

Kakugyo seeing how the beam of lightning was coming straight for him whirled around to face the oncoming rush of voltage bravely. Just when it seemed that the jutsu would score a hit Kakugyo put his hand out and the lightning died without so much as a scratch. The crowd was baffled at what they saw but Samui's eyes shimmered with recognition finally being able to see what was happening to all of the attacks she was performing. Kakugyo grinned while shaking the hand that was glowing with a yellow film of energy. "Well now that the cat is out of the bag so to speak why don't I show off my arsenal ne?"

"**Kiryokuon: Tommy Gun Blaster!" **Everyone minus those from Kiri watched on in shock as a cyclone of yellow energy began to morph in front of the grinning shinobi until it took a final shape. The stock shifted outwards before connecting to the main gun of the body followed by the creation of the barrel of the gun that stretched out a bit. There was a handle connected to the main body of the gun just behind the trigger and in front of the trigger was a round drum followed by another handle connected to the barrel. The 'Tommy Gun' was finished off with a brilliant yellow glow that made the crowd all admire the weapon created.

Samui with the rest of the crowd, shinobi included were all clueless as to what a Tommy Gun was but they correctly assumed that was what he had pointing at the blonde kunoichi. The trigger on the gun was pulled and suddenly the gun fired bullets of the same brilliant yellow hue at the shocked Samui. Shaking out of her daze the Cloud kunoichi proceeded to evade the bullets. However the foreign attack scored a few hits that clipped her shoulder and shins leaving burnt skin making the girl cry out in pain. With one eye opened Samui watched the drum get pulled from the gun and a new drum materialize out of thin air.

Biting down the pain Samui channeled chakra into the muscles in her legs and shot off at Kakugyo who was trying to reload the gun, a glaring weakness in the jutsu. Samui reached him before he could finish and slammed an open palm against his chest making him lose control of the gun. **"Lightning Release: Depth Charge!" **Samui then funneled a bolt of electricity with enough power to blow a ship sailing in water hence the name. Samui let a small smile form on her face when she saw Kakugyo's head slump making his shadow his eyes making the kunoichi believe it was her win.

Kakugyo started to laugh again making Samui frown at him until she followed his gaze down to see her hand was planted firmly against an armor consisting of the same energy from earlier. **"Kiryokuon: Kevlar Armor. **It is really a handy little thing ain't it? I mean it just saved me from feeling my nervous system getting jump started by your lightning show." Before Samui could respond Kakugyo hit Samui with a rather crude head butt sending the Kumo Nin stumbling back in a slight daze. Samui tried to shake the cobwebs as Kakugyo watched on with a grin hoping to showcase more of his rather special talents for the world to see and know his name.

* * *

_Kage Booth_

"Kiryokuon?" The aged Tsuchikage said aloud tasting the word as his brow furrowed as he tried to recall from his many decades of service to find anything like he was seeing from the Kiri shinobi but to his frustration he couldn't recall anything like it.

The Mizukage sensing her elder counterpart's confusion decided to inject some clarity into the situation at hand. "Kiryokuon or the _Energy Release_ is something special limited only to Kakugyo. He has the ability to create many a things with his strong body energy. It is similar to that of the Uzumaki aside from the fact his chakra does not have the sealing or binding abilities that the Uzumakis have been known for." Mei informed her fellow Kage with a demure smile and a proud gleam in her barely opened eyes.

The Kazekage glanced over to Kage from the Village Hidden in the Mist with an intrigued look in his usually blank eyes. "Do you know who the boy's parents are?" The Wind Shadow asked in hopes of obtaining a few members of the family that the boy came from then stabilize a clan in of Energy Release users in Suna thus elevating his position in the shinobi world.

At that the Mizukage's smile dropped into a somber frown as she looked down at the field while shaking her head. "Sadly we do not. My subordinates found Kakugyo near the end of the war with no family and there are no records on his lineage either. We tried to have his memories searched but the boy has repressed it all to the extent that he has forgotten they existed in the first place."

Minato's blue eyes focused in on the armor that the _Kirigakure _shinobi was currently wearing with interest. He like most had never seen anything like what Kakugyo was creating and he was naturally curious. The _Kevlar Armor _looked like a flak jacket but much more advanced than what they had. "Where does he get the information on the things he creates? They are quite incredible."

"He said that the designs come to him in his dreams. I do not press on that matter." Mei answered in a slightly cooler tone when speaking to the Hokage still upset with their refusal to aid them in their battle against Yagura causing thousands upon thousands of unnecessary deaths to befall _Mizu no Kuni_.

The Raikage was gripping his chair so tightly in started to give way to his monstrous physical strength. 'Come on Samui!'

* * *

_Combat Field_

Samui was grasping at straws now because it seemed that none of her Ninjutsu or Taijutsu attacks could crack that _Energy Release_ of Kakugyo's. She thought about using her Ranton **(Storm Release) **to try and crack that pesky armor technique but then she wouldn't have the ace for the next round for Haku. And then to add to the problem the few bullet wounds she had inflicted upon her were burning something rather fierce. The Cloud Genin knew that she needed to finish this and finish it right now. Samui took a deep breath before opening her eyes shining with determination to make her home proud ignoring the laughing Kiri shinobi.

Kakugyo watched with an arched eyebrow as Samui ran around his back but he remained motionless as she circled behind him. Kakugyo rolled his eyes seeing Samui go for another lightning blast like it would work or something. Kakugyo waited for the lightning blast to get closer and closer before a screen on yellow energy shot up from the ground negating the attack without problem. Kakugyo chuckled at the desperate attacks that were sent against his shield all ended up doing nothing to the shield he had created. **"Kiryokuon: Photon Screen! **You should know by now that attacks of that level can't break my defenses. I think I should finish this now since I am getting kinda bored here."

Kakugyo gave out a dry chuckle when he felt Samui glaring at his back but shrugged it off without a care. Kakugyo's eyes widened in shock and then he suddenly coughed up some blood and fell to his knees in excruciating pain. He looked down to find Samui's tanto with electricity coursing through the blade that was lodged in his stomach. He could feel his muscles contracting as he laid there on his back looking up at a bruised and cut Samui who was looking down at him. "H-How?"

"You were too confident in your abilities and when you were laughing you were distracted. I placed a minor Genjutsu on you to make you perceive things in an inverted manner. So when you thought I was attacking from behind I was attacking you in a frontal fashion. It is over confidence like yours leads to the death of shinobi much stronger than we are. Checkmate…" Samui walked away rolling the shoulder that was shot with a silent groan. Kakugyo laid there staring up at the bright blue sky with a disappointed expression. He knew he was showboating but that was so people would recognize his name and request him personally.

Kakugyo managed to shake his head in disappointment at his failure to get out of the first round and the chewing out he would get from his sensei. 'Man sensei is going to put me through the ringer when I get back to Kiri. That slave driver… and no doubt it will be worst because of why I had lost. Man this is going to suck.'

"Winner by technical knockout, Samui!"

* * *

_Daimyo Booth_

"Oh my, that was a rather intense battle those two young ones had." The Fire Daimyo said in a childish voice his face hidden by the small fan he was waving over his face. This served to keep people from reading his emotions like a mask but without covering the entirety of his face.

"I need to talk to the Mizukage about teaching the shinobi about arrogance…" Grumbled the disgruntled Water Daimyo as he handed a grinning Lightning Daimyo a slip with the amount of money placed on who would win the last fight. **(AN: Ah let's just put it around one billion dollars for context)** The guards just looked on with disbelief seeing how frivolous their Feudal Lords were being with such large amounts of money.

"Hmph it is not like any of this matters because Gaara will be winning this tournament and then _I _will have bragging rights." The large Daimyo from _Kaze no Kuni_ stated rather boldly with his eyes closed clearly not expecting to be challenged. His eyes opened when there was a loud snort off to the side.

"You mean the boy who can't control his impulse to kill people? Even after a proctor has told him to stop? Yes he sounds like an excellent choice." The Daimyo from the Land of Earth asserted himself by voicing his skepticism in the Wind Daimyo's choice.

The Fire Daimyo giggled behind his fan at the antics of his fellow Daimyo and then there were still more fights to be had.

* * *

_Combat Field_

Chojuro pushed his glasses up his face and lowered himself with _Hiramekarei_ lowered down in perfect balance with his center of gravity. Omoi spat out the stick that once held a candy at the end while gripping his own blade while staring down the Hidden Mist swordsman with a serious gaze leveled on the boy. Both swordsmen were anxious to see what a style from another village could do when put up against their own. Chojuro was the first to speak with a small smile that displayed his pointed teeth. "I look forward to seeing your capabilities as a swordsman Omoi-san."

"I can say the same." Omoi replied casually before he and Chojuro rushed forward at the same time getting the crowd to rave seeing two similar styles clashing. Chojuro swung his larger blade forcing Omoi to falter and avoid the strike. Omoi quickly went on to create a plan of attack seeing that not only did Chojuro's blade a longer reach but greater defense capabilities. 'Man those Kiri blades sure make having duels difficult…' Omoi thought with a slight drawl as he leaped to his right avoiding a downward slash from the blue haired teen. Chojuro tried to pull the tip of his blade from the ground but found it to be stuck in the ground.

Omoi seeing a moment of opportunity slashed at Chojuro's arm cutting the boy's skin and getting a yelp of pain. Using more strength Chojuro whipped _Hiramekarei_ from the ground swinging it at Omoi who brought his blade up vertically to impede the larger sword from bifurcated. Omoi grit his teeth as the force behind the swing wore on his arms and sent him skidding back from Chojuro. 'Even if he is able to wield it like it weighs nothing it still takes time for him to wind up his weapon. That is my window of opportunity.' Omoi grunted and ran at the Kiri swordsman but before he got within range he darted to his left.

Chojuro tried to turn so that Omoi was within his vision again but Omoi darted off in the opposite direction once more. Chojuro couldn't catch Omoi and Omoi was managing to close the distance making it more difficult for Chojuro to use his larger weapon. Omoi lunged in however Chojuro flipped his blade parrying the stab with the width of his sword. Chojuro pushed Omoi back and lashed out slicing Omoi across the stomach or so he thought. Omoi dropped into a cleaved log in front of Chojuro. 'Substitution!' Chojuro then sensed something behind him but it was too late for him to put up a defensive measure against what was coming.

Omoi got behind Chojuro using the _Substitution _as a distraction he got the point of his blade into Chojuro's shoulder but that was it before he found himself being painfully rolled across the floor. Omoi pulled himself from the ground and tried to take a step forward only to find a jostling pain jolt through his body. Omoi now with a tweaked ankle looked towards Chojuro who shot forward un-expectantly making Omoi try to take a step back only to stumble as he tried to put force on his bad ankle. Chojuro sliced down on Omoi with _Hiramekarei _glowing a faint blue. Omoi with his only choice being rolling out of harm's way was able to avoid the attacking leaving Chojuro to create a divot in the ground where Omoi was downed.

Standing up Omoi took a few steps back ignoring his body as it hissed in protest he bit down on his lip trying to figure out what he could do now, he was wounded and Chojuro only had a few small cuts. 'I need him to come in closer then I can unleash one of my moves where he won't be able to block it. Feign weakness.' Omoi turned and tried to limp into the trees with a more pronounced limp then he really had. Chojuro seeing this gave chase not wanting a wounded opponent to have a chance for recovery.

Omoi's ears picked up the sound of Chojuro's footsteps that were getting progressively louder with each fleeting second. Omoi tightened his grip on his handle and suddenly whirled around getting Chojuro to fall back a step in surprise. **"Cloud Style: Silent Sundown!" **Omoi rushed forward faster than Chojuro could anticipate ignoring the pain in his ankle he cut clear through Chojuro's ribs leaving a nasty but not fatal wound. The attack was so quick that the blade didn't make a sound even as it cut through the air. The attack also proved too quick to allow Chojuro time to lift the heavy _Hiramekarei _in time to fend off the slash.

Omoi who was facing the opposite direction of a wide eyed Chojuro let out a sigh of relief knowing that the match had come to an end and he could get treatment. His post match plans were cancelled when he heard a splash behind him that made him turn to find a puddle of water. "That was a _Mizu_ _Bunshin_? But when did he have time to do that?" Omoi wondered aloud as he looked for Chojuro who was nowhere to be seen but Omoi wouldn't release his guard. Chojuro then appeared in front of Omoi with the use of a _Mizu_ _Shunshin_ getting Omoi to focus in on him.

"I had time to make a Water Clone when I sent you tumbling away during the earlier sword exchange in the match while I tucked myself away to learn your style. 'Good thing to since that cut would have put me in the hospital for quite a while. I was hoping that the clone would make him lax his guard but it only heightened it.' Chojuro let out a mental sigh since it was going so well thus far but he also couldn't finish Omoi since he was quicker than him. Power could not do a thing if you can't score a hit.

* * *

_Combatant Booth_

"Woah that Chojuro guy must be strong to be able to swing that huge blade the way that he does…" Fu said while looking down Chojuro as he tried to contemplate how he could catch the faster shinobi from _Kumogakure_. Fu's mood had taken a drastic change for the better since one of her tormentors or who others called teammates was gone.

Haku who was standing near the mint haired Jinchuuriki from the Village Hidden by a Waterfall nodded in agreement with her words. "Chojuro is such a timid man in daily life but when he gets on to the battlefield that all changes, it always amazes me." Haku had no issue with serving some compliments for her teammate who no doubt earned them.

"Come on Omoi get your ass in gear!" Karui shouted with her hands cupping her mouth to amplify her shout. Standing behind her Samui and Yugito shared a concerned glance with each other seeing the same thing. Yugito crossed her arms and shook her head softly as she looked down at the field.

"He really needs to do something because he is favoring his ankle more and more as the match goes on. If it keeps up like this Chojuro-san will no doubt over take him." Yugito said aloud getting a small nod from the bandaged Samui and an angry frown from Karui.

Shikamaru who early had been looking very uninterested was now watching the match with a high amount of scrutiny because whoever will the match would be his opponent in the next round assuming he beat Temari. 'They both use swords but their styles seem entirely different. But both require them to be within close range to their opponent.' Shikamaru analyzed the battle as it started up once again.

* * *

_Combat Field_

Chojuro advanced on Omoi with _Hiramekarei _elevated above his head and with a silent determination he swung it down on a hampered Omoi. Omoi not able to get away in time was forced to brace himself and take the blow by guarding with his katana. Omoi grunted and his back was slammed into a tree and his katana flung into the air some feet away. Omoi was panting heavily as he looked at his katana buried in the earth over in the distance. Omoi rolled under a slash from Chojuro that cut down the tree and wrapped his hand around his katana and got back to his feet with a great amount of effort.

Omoi with as much as he could rushed forward with his blade pointed directly at Chojuro cried out his next attack. **"Cloud Style: Swift Skies!" **Chojuro seeing the path of the straight lunged positioned his massive weapon to deflect the smaller one's attack but then to his shock Omoi leaped into the air and his katana fell down on Chojuro's shoulder. Chojuro cried out painfully as he felt the harsh steel impact his shoulder making the bone crack slightly. Chojuro bit down on his tongue and flailed his blade towards Omoi wildly forcing the Cloud teen to retreat again. Omoi grunted in pain when he landed but before he could move his injured ankle gave way and he fell to a kneeling position.

Chojuro grunted when the stabbing pain spread down his arm as he thrusted _Hiramekarei _into the ground and went through a series of hand signs. Omoi sensing the attack was coming tried to stand but failed as the pain was just too much to stand any longer. **"Water Release: Stormy Blockade!" **A violent blast of water came from Chojuro's opened mouth and collided down on top of the Cloud shinobi. Omoi couldn't keep his footing and was swallowed up the technique and washed down the field straight into one of the walls. The crowd in the front row leaned over the rail to try and see what was going to happen next.

Omoi opened his eyes after being deposited rather harshly against the wall that rattled his entire skeletal structure it seemed to see that Chojuro was already standing over him. Directing an open palm in front of Omoi a spherical orb of water sprung from his palm and trapped the _Kumogakure _Genin within. **"Water Release: Water Prison. **It would be best for you to give up now Omoi-san or else you might drown inside of my prison." Chojuro advised his opponent with a friendly smile ignoring the sweat that was dripping down his brow from the physical fight between he and Omoi.

Omoi gasped in shock when he saw the orb of chakra infused water closed in around him letting water slide down his throat. Choking slightly the water bubbled as he coughed up the water. Finally getting a breathe he could hold he looked around to see if he could escape. The obvious point to attack would be where Chojuro's hand was connected to the prison but to Omoi's ire he found moving to be impossible. Omoi silently cursed his predicament before locking eyes with Chojuro whose words had reached Omoi's ears. Seeing no other option Omoi begrudgingly nodded his head conceding defeat.

Chojuro let the prison go dropping Omoi to his knees allowing him to get the oxygen he was deprived of while inside of the jutsu. Sheathing _Hiramekarei _Chojuro walked over to Omoi and offered to help him up which Omoi gladly accepted. The crowd all applauded the show of good sportsmanship as the proctor declared Chojuro the winner.

* * *

_In The Stands_

"That was pretty awesome! Say how come we don't have shinobi who use swords like those two did?" Kiba asked still feeling the high of watching such an intense clash between the two swordsmen that had captivated the audience and most of the Genins. Akamaru barked supporting what his human partner was asking/ saying.

Hinata tapped the Inuzuka heir on the shoulder garnering his attention which got her to look down at her fingers. A-Ah Kiba-kun you are forgetting about N-Naruto-san." Hinata reminded her teammate getting a defiant scoff from the feral looking teen. Kiba always toted being the 'alpha male' yet Naruto acted the part where as the Inuzuka spoke the part.

"Well Kiba both Kiri and Kumo focus highly on their Kenjutsu while Konoha focuses in on formation based units and that is why there aren't as many swordsman in Konoha also because of bloodlines. Something Kumo never had many of and Kiri is lacking due to their war." Kakashi informed the young Inuzuka pup now focusing in on the matches after his _chat _with Kushina.

"Shikamaru is up next! Do you think he can win sensei?" A bandaged but yet still spry Yamanaka heiress asked of her sensei with blue eyes reflecting genuine curiosity. Asuma could tell that his student was still sore from her early round loss but he was proud that she wouldn't let that turn her into some sort of cynic.

Asuma let out a plume of smoke from his mouth and rubbed his bearded chin with a contemplative glance directed at the sky. "Well that's hard to say Ino. We both know how Shikamaru can be even lazier than a sloth at times. I just hope the magnitude of these exams will remedy that at least partially." Asuma closed his eyes and shook his head. 'Or at least I hope it does.'

* * *

_Combat Field_

Shikamaru bit down a displeased groan when he recognized the look the fan wielding kunoichi was giving him, a look of feminine fury. Shikamaru cursed Choji for convincing him to try until he had secured his promotion to the rank of Chunin. He glanced up at the clouds which only made Temari's anger grow believing that the Nara heir was not taking her seriously. 'Man this is such a troublesome tournament. I really wish my mother would let me just live an ordinary life with an ordinary girl but no I need to be a shinobi.' Shikamaru released a tired sigh that finally made Temari snap at what she perceived to be a disrespectful gesture.

Snapping open her fan and waving it at the reluctant, pineapple haired shinobi from Konoha she grinned watching the sharp blast of air traveling at Shikamaru who didn't seem like he planned to move. Temari's easy win was snatched away when the shadow manipulating shinobi suddenly moved to his left avoiding the wind attack created by the giant war fan. Temari started to backpedal as she watched a shadow stretch from her opponent and slither on over towards her. She quickly kept her retreat along with random movements to her left and right but Shikamaru wasn't a Nara for nothing he had seen that obvious tactic coming and split his shadow to snare the kunoichi.

Temari's eyes widened and she cursed herself for being herded sp easily and just when it looked as if she was about to be caught the shadow stopped like the strain on the stretch had reached its limit. Temari held her breath waiting for the two shadows to pincer in on her but when nothing came she allowed herself to look back at Shikamaru who had a strained grin on his face as a bead of a sweat made its way down his temple. 'I was so close to getting her but it seems she is out of my reach if only slightly. Troublesome…'

Temari calmed down and leaped back just for comfort before she began to try and calculate the distance Shikamaru's shadow could reach. Shikamaru noticing what she was doing took a kunai dressed with an explosive tag and threw it at Temari hoping to break her train of thought. Temari storing the information away swung her fan upward creating a rising wind that knocked the kunai high into the atmosphere where the tag went off. 'He wanted to keep me from learning his reach and then when the tag went off he would use my lessened field of vision to get me with his shadow. Despite his lack of drive he is dangerous.' Temari thought with a growing respect for the resident Nara genius of her generation.

Temari took the offensive opening her fan some more to show off a second purple sphere in the middle which had Shikamaru arch an eyebrow in curiosity. Temari with a small shout threw another wider and faster blast of wind at Shikamaru who didn't have enough time to move so he had to brace himself behind a cross guard. The Nara heir moaned out in pain when his body was slammed into the unforgiving ground. Shikamaru looked up at the clouds with a strange expression as he forced himself to stand back up and continue his fight with the Kazekage's daughter.

Shikamaru turned to face Temari only this time her giant war fan was opened up all the way and she was holding it behind her back with an arm. Temari revolved on her heel throwing another blast of air at Shikamaru. **"Wind Release: Wind Scythe Jutsu!" **Shikamaru who heard the name at the last moment leaned back to his left but the wind still cut his cheek letting blood flow free from the laceration. Shikamaru dabbed his palm on his cheek wiping the blood of his cheek off and rubbing dirt into the wound and clogging the cut up. Temari gave Shikamaru a wide grin seeing the blood she had drawn.

Shikamaru knew that he would need to avoid the rest of her attacks or he would find himself in pieces deposited around the arena. Shikamaru took off running to avoid another wind jutsu from the fan wielding kunoichi. Temari growled after a few minutes of cat and mouse with the teen from Konoha she was getting irritated. The ground was carved all around from the number of shots that she fired off each with no success. "Why won't you stay still? Stop running it is annoying!" Temari demanded firing off another scythe wind at Shikamaru who… shocker ran away from the attack.

Shikamaru kneeled down and sent his shadow at Temari who chuckled at the desperate and rather obvious attack. Shaking her head the sandy blonde from _Sunagakure_ jumped back and as she expected the shadow stopped a few yards in front of her. Looking up at Shikamaru she shook her head at the smirking heir. "For someone who is said to be a genius you're quite dumb. Maybe genius is thrown around in the Hidden Leaf, usually when someone figures out an attack pattern you change it." Shikamaru shook his head at the confident kunoichi which got him a frown in return.

Temari when for a final swing of her fan but to her immense shock she couldn't move a muscle on her body. Shikamaru glanced down allowing Temari to do so as well and see that there shadows were linked to each other. "I wasn't just running. I was stalling for time. I knew you would figure out my reach, I planned for that, I wanted that. Once you figured it out you would get confident and sloppy. The sun and clouds move and that means the shadows move as well, the closer that we get to sundown the longer my reach."

Temari was left speechless as Shikamaru told her his plan and that was then that she realized that the teen in front of her was already three moves ahead and probably had a backup plan as well. Shikamaru reached into his kunai pouch and held it in his hand however Temari didn't have a pouch on that side so she was holding nothing. "I suggest you forfeit otherwise you will lose your life. I'll throw this kunai at you and I won't even release your shadow to give you a chance to dodge it."

Temari gave the Nara heir her best glare for a few moments before sighing and nodding her head in acceptance. "I give up." She conceded regretfully.

"Winner by surrender, Shikamaru Nara!"

* * *

_Combatant Booth_

Narumi looked around anxiously as the next two fighters made their way down for the second to last match of the first round. There was still no sign of Naruto and his match was next, Narumi couldn't lie to herself, she was nervous something happened to her brother. Her head snapped to the side when she felt a hand on her shoulder but eased up seeing it was her sister.

"Take it easy Narumi-chan Nii-san will be here and then he will kick the arrogant Uchiha around the arena." Naomi assured her sister since she had faith that her brother wouldn't miss the chance to place Sasuke in his place in front of the eyes of the world. Who would miss that chance?

Narumi looked at her sister for a few minutes before relaxing and giving her sister a small smile as she nodded her head. "Yeah you are right, he'll be here." Naomi nodded her head with a bright grin and the two siblings walked up to the railing to watch the upcoming match.

* * *

_Combat Field_

"You may as well give up now Taki shinobi because you can't beat me. Look at it as saving yourself from worldwide humiliation." The kunoichi from _Kirigakure_, Tera offered her blue scarf wearing opponent. Shiku scoffed at the audacity of her offer and that the fact that she actually thought she could defeat him. Tera glared at Shiku obviously not pleased by the amused smirk that was currently on his face. She was offering him a chance to go through a painless defeat and he was amused. "Do you find something I said funny trash?" Tera asked rhetorically her face contorted into a scowl.

Shiku looked at Tera and nodded his head showing that he did find something funny actually he found the whole thing to be quite the joke. "Yes as a matter of fact I do find something funny. I find it funny that _you_ believe you can defeat _me_! The idea is simply laughable." Shiku shouted while running through a series of hand signs leaving Tera to fume at his words. **"Water Release: Water Dragon's Pressure Cannon!" **A dragon created from water came up behind the scroll that Shiku dropped behind his back. The dragon's body curled around Shiku protectively as it glared menacingly at Tera who took an instinctive step back at its appearance.

The dragon's mouth opened and a small beam of water was fired from its mouth directly at the ground and rising as the dragon's head moved up. Tera watching the path of the attack leaped up to avoid the path of the beam. Yet the dragon's head was faster as the beam widened and clipped her ankle sending her staggering. The dragon's body had become noticeably shorter telling that it was using its own body to fire the cannon. With his opponent midair and vulnerable the dragon burst forth and clenched down on Tera driver her into the ground with its jaw. Shiku shook his head and started to walk away. "Couldn't even take one jutsu…"

Shiku started to walk away with a disappointed look on his face missing the slight twitch of Tera's hand. Getting up and glaring at the Taki shinobi Tera went through a series of hand signs but was slowed down by the damage done to her from Shiku's last move. Ignoring the blood dripping down her head Tera grinned as she finished her jutsu. **"Water Release: Scalding Intentions!" **Shiku spun around when he heard his foe's voice and went wide eyed when a giant wave came crashing down on top of him. The steam from the water wisped up into the air making those in the front row sweat from the heat.

Tera grimaced as she heard her opponent's muffled shouts of pain as the searing water washed over his body. Tera rubbed the back of her hand across the bloodied section of her forehead with a groan as her tired muscles cried out in agony. "That's it!" Tera looked on in disbelief as Shiku walked through the steam but she gagged at what she saw. The skin around Shiku's jaw was burnt clean to the point where she could see his teeth and jaw; he looked like B horror movie zombie. Shiku growled at Tera which made his exposed jaw move in a very unnerving way.

Tera was so enthralled by the sight of his jaw (not in a good way) that she missed the last sign in the series of his jutsu. **"Water Release: Waterfall Splitting Sword!" **A glob of water coated the young man from Taki's arm and slowly took the shape of a sword while water ran through it like a current. Shiku sped forward and overtook Tera and with one quick slash removed the girl's arm but the look in his eyes craved more. Shiku grinned darkly and moved his sword arm to the unconscious kunoichi's neck to finish the job. The Suna proctor took that moment and intervened by gripping Shiku's arm and throwing him back, saving the girl's life.

Shiku ignored the proctor who went to stop the _Kirigakure _kunoichi from bleeding out as he grabbed his blue scarf and glanced down at it for a moment before wrapping it around his jaw hiding the deformity from the sight of the world.

* * *

After that little incident between the shinobi from _Takigakure _and the kunoichi from _Kirigakure_ Genma stood there with Sasuke as he called Naruto's name for a third time for him to come down to the field. Sasuke stood there with a cocky smirk believing the reason the scorned child of Konoha's first family was not present was due to his fear of him. Genma looked up to the Kage's booth to see that his Kage nod down to him. Genma cleared his throat. "Last call for Naruto Namikaze-Uzumaki, please come to the field or you will be disqualified." Then as if a switch was flipped the audience recognized the name of the shinobi who was being called and went into a hideous uproar.

"That's the demon brat! What's he doing here?"

"Why is Hokage-sama letting that _thing _compete? We should kill him before it's too late!"

"What if it has gotten too strong for us to kill!?"

"No worries Uchiha-sama will finally rid us of that monstrosity!"

"Death to the demon!"

That was the chant that had prevailed across the stadium from the bigoted villagers and those who weren't sure but didn't want the others to turn on them. Their hate infused movement had blinded them for serious killer intent flooding the place. Minato and Ay were radiating killing intent being the two Kage's who were the most protective over their Jinchuuriki while Onoki and the Kazekage looked indifferent while Mei was frowning sadly as the blind hate seemed to spread like a disease from person to person.

The Hidden Leaf Jounin present were leaking killing intent that kept those around them silent especially Kushina who was being restrained by Asuma and Kakashi or else she would be up there killing a few foolish people. The Genin from Konoha were looking around with small frowns not understanding what was going on with the elder villagers. Jiraiya who was not around the village during Naruto's childhood was clearly disgusted as the chant seemed to get louder. Tsunade who was in the medic ward was glaring at the wall as the noise came into the ward because even if she thought Naruto was a brat he didn't deserve a whole village clamoring for his head.

Bee, Yugito and Fu were all glaring dangerously at the civilians since they knew exactly what the people were talking about having experienced it at one point in their lives as well. They weren't really shocked to see that the Jinchuuriki's curse of hatred had come to Konoha as well. Even Gaara and his _Mother _wanted the blood of the villagers because they reminded Gaara of his own childhood when people often tried to assassinate him.

Shikamaru, Choji and Lee were doing their best restraining a livid Narumi and Naomi from going into the crowd and defending their brother's honor. The rage coming off of the two sisters was palpable and made the others who weren't busy contemplating killing Leaf Villager's nervous an on edge.

"**That's enough!" **

Minato's furious voice erupted over the stadium stopping any and all noise dead in its tracks as all eyes flittered over to Minato who was standing in front of the Kage's booth. "I will not allow you to insult _my _son while I am standing right here. How dare you insult the young man who has kept you safe since the day he was born! He was given the Kyuubi's conscious by my choice but it seemed that my villagers couldn't see that it was my son right in front of them! Well not any more… From hence forth any and I mean any one within the Village Hidden in the Leaves that refers to Naruto's status as the demon or Kyuubi or anything similar will be dealt a swift death!" Minato's edict got a number of smiles from the shinobi all along the arena and looks of outrage on the demon hating populace.

"Hokage-sama you can't be serious! You are being bewitched by the demon-" Whatever the foolish man was about to say further was cut off by a kunai piercing his throat. Behind the man was Kushina her hair waving about with a mother's anger as she pulled the kunai from his throat and Shunshined back to her seat as the ANBU removed the corpse from the isle. No one else had any protests that they were willing to lose their live for. And those who were not sure about Naruto being the Kyuubi looked down in shame.

"Now since Naruto is not-"

A sudden vortex of black feathers shot up from the ground high into the sky overhead gathering the attention of everyone in the arena. The feathers were rotating so fast around the vortex that no one could see what was going on within the eye of the tornado but those who had known the person knew just who was behind the wall of feathers. After a full minute of roaring in the center of the stadium the vortex died down showing a teen who was dressed in black shinobi pants and an opened vest with a chain mesh underneath. Unlike his old grey vest this vest was a deep blue color. On the back of each shoulder there was an emblem one for the Uzumaki and the other the Uchiha fan separated by a black trident that went down his back.

Naruto blew the traditional blank bang that hung over his eyes and the sight shocked everyone as he opened his eyes. Because in place of his usual stoic azure eyes were two blazing red eyes with three tomoe in each eye, the _Sharingan_. Sasuke's whole body started to tremble with anger as he looked into the eyes of _his_ clan. "How do you possess the Sharingan Naruto you are not an Uchiha! Answer my question you bastard!"

Naruto raised an eyebrow behind his hanging bang as he looked into the two tomoe copy eyes of Sasuke with the same bored look as always but with the red eyes and spinning tomoe added a hint of memorization. "I awakened my eyes just like any Uchiha would. It is that simple." Naruto responded coolly which only served to make Sasuke seethe with anger.

* * *

_Kage Booth_

"You're boy has the Sharingan Hokage? How is that possible, you do not posses any Uchiha blood in your family!" The elderly Tsuchikage asked staring down at Naruto with wide eyes never expecting to find the cursed eyes in the teen in front of him. It seemed the shinobi world still had surprises for the man who had met Madara Uchiha.

"Apparently he does…" Was all that the _Yellow Flash_ could manage to choke out as he slumped back into his chair still in shock that his son possessed the prized eyes of the Uchiha Clan. Yet here was his son wielding said eyes against the teen who was supposed to be the _last _Uchiha.

Mei was simply staring down in silence with the rest of the stadium at the teen that caught her eye the day before when she finally registered what the Fire Shadow had said. "Wait apparently? Do you mean to tell me that you didn't know that Naruto had the Sharingan?" Mei asked disbelievingly a sentiment shared by the other Kage as well.

"Naruto… is a very secretive individual. He says only what is necessary and lets out things only when he is ready. And if I try to force anything out of him he will clamp up." Minato admitted with a frown as he looked down at his son who had always been an enigma since his return. No matter what effort he or his family had made Naruto had put up a wall to keep them a certain distance away from him.

'There is something going on in their family. From the way Naruto glared at him yesterday to the lack of communication between he and Naruto. Interesting and if I play my cards right I might be able to hurt Konoha and get a new ally. Not to mention Naruto is quite handsome.' Mei thought licking her lips at the last thought.

"You can't command around your own son! What a disgrace!" Ay said through his loud laughter taking a shot at his speed rival ignoring the narrowed glare he got from the Fourth Leaf Shadow to focus in on laughing at his incompetence.

"Oh yes and from what I hear you can only order your brother around when he is within arm's reach of you." Minato shot back taking pleasure in the annoyed look and the instinctive hand clench from the hulking Raikage. After the barbs were finished the booth fell into a silence waiting to see the match between the two Uchiha.

* * *

_In The Stands_

Kakashi's own Sharingan was left wide behind his headband as he looked down at his sensei's son who was displaying two of his own. "K-Kushina-sama who does Naruto have the Sharingan I didn't know there was Uchiha blood in him.

"We don't or at least we didn't. Naruto never showed any sign of a dojutsu before when he was still around the family. When did he get those eyes?" Kushina just like her husband and the rest of the crowd was left speechless at Naruto's new appearance. There was no denying what was right in front of their eyes.

Asuma getting over his shock chuckled as he went to replace the cigarette that fell from his mouth when Naruto appeared. "Man that kid just keeps getting more and more interesting." Asuma had always seen Naruto in his childhood because he would often stay at the Sarutobi Compound. At first Asuma had felt envious of the young Naruto for having his father's attention but that soon went away when he saw how bad Naruto had it. And since he had come back the two often played Shogi and talked with each other. Asuma had even given Naruto some advice on Wind manipulation.

* * *

_Combat Field_

Sasuke glared at Naruto the two tomoe in each of his eyes spinning around violently as his eyes responded to the rage he was feeling at facing down someone who disgraced his name. "You dare to show me those eyes! You're a Namikaze you are no Uchiha! I could handle Kakashi having one eye but you have two!" Sasuke shot forward his speed improved from the last month as he threw a quick punch straight to Naruto's face not allowing Naruto to respond to his heated words. Naruto showed no sign of worry as he swayed to the left avoiding the attack easily. Sasuke growled and threw another combination of body blows that Naruto was easily able to avoid thanks to the _Sharingan_.

Scowling Sasuke lunged at Naruto with a side kick that Naruto harmlessly brushed aside with the back of his hand. Sasuke was not done yet because he had spun with the momentum Naruto redirected with a fist bearing down towards Naruto's face. Naruto glanced at the attack and ducked under the blow lashing out with a kick that nailed Sasuke in the gut and sent him skidding backwards heaving from the force behind the attack. Naruto stood there waiting patiently for Sasuke to attack again not drawing _Twilight _yet. Sasuke tried his best to glare a hole through Naruto's head but Naruto was not bothered by his hateful gaze because he had become accustomed to such things.

Sasuke kicked up his speed and appeared behind Naruto taking use of Lee's _Shadow of the Dancing Leaf_ to kick Naruto high into the air where he kicked up to hover over Naruto who was coming quick. Performing a sudden flip in the air Sasuke smashed his heel down on the back of Naruto's head throwing him back to the ground. Just when Sasuke was about to celebrate his quick win the Naruto he struck went up in a cloud of smoke telling Sasuke it was one of Naruto's Shadow Clones. Looking around Sasuke found nothing until he glanced up to find Naruto dropping an elbow on top of him. The avenger managed to bring his guard up and lessen the effect of the blow.

Naruto landed softly on his feet brushing the dirt off his arms before regarding Sasuke with his _Sharingan _gleaming brilliantly in the sun light. Naruto shook his head when he watched Sasuke drop into the Interceptor Fist Taijutsu style. "Your combat style is reliant on your Sharingan yet you are facing someone with a high knowledge of said style and more experience wielding the Sharingan than you. This is not a fight you can win." Naruto informed Sasuke with an even keeled tone not even holding arrogance just truth. Sasuke growled at the Uchiha and the son of the Hokage for his sleight at the difference between their skill levels.

"The let's see how you like the taste of an Uchiha's most useful jutsu!" Sasuke shouted going through the signs for the Uchiha's favorite fire jutsu. Sasuke leaned back as a burning sensation started to swell up inside of his chest. **"Fire Release: Grand Fireball!" **Sasuke spewed a giant ball of flames larger than anything he had done before. Naruto watched the sphere of fire close in on him and preformed a substitution with the always present log. Sasuke sneered when he saw a pile of ash that was not Naruto with the man he wished to burn standing there with the same uninterested look in his eyes.

Naruto stared at Sasuke with the normal intensive stare as he unfolded his arms from in front of his chest. "Is that all of the firepower that you have?" Naruto asked blankly as he looked at the snarling Uchiha across from him. Sasuke went through the same hand signs except at the end of this series there was an extra hand sign that was not there before. Naruto arched an eyebrow wondering just what Sasuke had learned from his time under Kakashi's metaphorical wing.

"Here let me show you! **Fire Release: Dragon Flamebomb!" **Naruto watched on in slight intrigue as the flames from Sasuke's mouth morphed into a dragon before swirling up into elliptical blast of fire that raced out at the son of the Hokage. Naruto freed _Twilight_ from the bindings on his back and channeled chakra into the blade making the white section glow a pure white and the black gleam menacingly. Naruto closed his eyes as the jutsu came closer to him and buried his sword deep into the ground in front of him mouthing something quietly so that no one could hear what he had spoken.

"**Kami no ken'nomai: Exile to Hell." **Sasuke watched as a sudden column of fire roared to life coming from Naruto's blade absorbing his technique into the fire. The column was not done yet however as it shot up and started to spread. The stadium watched on silently as the one column of fire turned into a cage that trapped Sasuke and Naruto inside. Sasuke quickly tried to escape remembering his time fighting Haku and how poorly that turned out but the moment he tried to breach the cage a column of fire roared to life in front of him forcing him to step back.

* * *

_In The Stands_

"Woah I have never seen anything like that…" Ino whispered out in admiration momentarily forgetting her obsessive crush for the Uchiha brooder. Watching as the fire erupted at random times in a perfect circle stopping every attempt Sasuke made to break free. Sakura looked on nodding her head since there was no way anyone could deny that the technique was impressive.

"Of course my Sochi would be kicking some ass!" Kushina was absolutely beaming with joy at seeing her son handling her best friend and rival's son with ease. Kushina pumped her fist ecstatically as she cheered for her son getting a small smile from those around her. Kakashi had revealed his own _Sharingan_ to try and recreate the technique but to his confusion he could not see how the chakra was being manipulated.

"Bee-sensei have you ever seen anything like what Naruto is pulling off down there?" Omoi asked his rapping sensei with the crutches he was issued lying across his lap as he watched Naruto's blade glow in the intense light created by the flames of his technique.

"No I haven't this is something novel, that other Uchiha better figure something out quick or he is going to learn how to grovel!" Bee replied waving his hands around eccentrically getting tired groans from those who were sitting around him for the second day who had quickly become tired of his little gig.

"**Bee sometimes I wish that someone would come around and break that jaw just to save me from your tortuous rapping!" **The Eight Tails said irritably creating a depressing rain cloud to hover over Killer Bee's head making even more people to look over at him like he was an alien species.

* * *

_Combat Field_

The Hokage's son looked at Sasuke as a wall of fire sprung to life between the two for a moment before falling making Sasuke much more weary than before while Naruto remained composed. "This Sasuke is a fire jutsu…" Naruto said in monotone before snapping his fingers which was followed by a fire pillar shooting up catching one of Sasuke's arms in the width of the fire. Sasuke cried out in pain and yanked his arm away from the fire and leaped away. Looking at his arm the avenger could see his wrappings burnt away and skin slightly burnt after only a moment in the fire. Sasuke shook his head he refused to be humiliated by Naruto in everything he claimed to be a genius in and with that he pulled out a ninja tool from his pouch.

Naruto watched as a Fuma Shuriken flew past his side but he could see Sasuke pull with mouth making the shuriken loop back around. Naruto then felt his arms being pulled against his body by a ninja wire that was between Sasuke's teeth. Sasuke had suppressed the wire with chakra which Naruto was easily able to pick up on thanks to his _Sharingan_ but let wrap in up anyways. Sasuke chuckled as he went through another set of hand signs for yet another fire jutsu which Naruto waited patiently for. **"Fire Release: Dragon Fire Technique!"** The flames made a beeline for Naruto using the ninja wire as a conduit for travel.

Sasuke watched as the fire made it halfway through the length of the wire before the wire fell limp to the ground with the fire following soon after. Sasuke stared at Naruto for some sort of hint at how the wire had just cut and fell limply to the ground. "Just to let you know Sasuke my eyes pick up chakra just like yours do so trying to conceal the wire with chakra was very foolish." Naruto said managing to pull off a blank yet still insulting tone of voice that had Sasuke scowling once again at his opponent, and fellow Konoha shinobi.

Naruto said nothing as he vanished in a Shunshin appearing in front of Sasuke and kicking him in the gut Naruto sent a pulse of chakra from his sole sending Sasuke into the air where Naruto had a Shadow Clone waiting. The Kage Bunshin gripped Sasuke by the top of his shoulders and slammed him back down into the ground dispelling over the avenger hampering his vision while the real Naruto came down with the foot of his shinobi sandal slamming into Sasuke's gut. Naruto ignored the feeling of wood under his foot in favor for searching for Sasuke who substituted at the last moment.

Naruto searched the area with his _Sharingan _but found nothing due to the chakra infused into the flames surrounding him. Naruto turned and went to retrieve _Twilight_ no longer needing to keep up his prison of flames. Just as Naruto went to reach for his katana the sound of birds chirping echoed out in the arena. Sasuke sped through an opening with lightning natured chakra coursing around his hand. **"Chidori!" **Sasuke shouted using the fabled assassination jutsu of Kakashi the Copycat Ninja. As Sasuke's lightning encased hand went to hit Naruto in the heart the flames surrounding the two collapsed in creating an explosion.

The crowd waited with baiting breath some of the civilians hoping that Sasuke had killed the demon while others just wanting to see the results. Kushina, Naomi and Narumi were all worried seeing how close Sasuke had gotten to Naruto before the fires collapsed in. Kakashi was busy explaining why he believed it to be the right choice to teach Sasuke that jutsu to his eternal rival.

The wind blew away the smoke to reveal Sasuke with his hand thrusted forward and a look of complete shock plastered on his face. Sasuke's hand was touching Naruto's chest but there was no lightning or an entrance wound, because around Naruto the air was swirling around frantically surrounding him like a set of armor. Sasuke pulled his hand back when it started to get cut up from the sharp blades the wind was creating. "I created this move in case Kakashi decided to teach you his Chidori. As a counter I created my **Fūjin no Yoroi. **(Armor of the Wind God) Though I suppose if it was Kakashi using the jutsu my armor wouldn't be strong enough to handle the stabbing power. I assume I do not need to explain why your attack did not work?"

* * *

_Kage Booth_

"That's my jutsu! The brat is using my jutsu!" An enraged Ay shouted standing on his feet glaring down at Naruto while lightning started to spark around him. Onoki looked over at the Raikage and shook his heading seeing he was still the same unruly brat as he was in his younger days.

"Now Raikage-dono surely you're not saying that Naruto-san has actually seen your jutsu and managed to create a version of his own?" Mei looked at the Raikage with a pleasant smile getting the man to grumble but eventually nod and sit down. It would be ridiculous to think that Naruto would have met the Raikage enough to create his own armor technique.

"Besides his armor seems to work different from yours, where as you create your lightning Naruto seems to be pulling in the air from around him and manipulating it to shield him." The Kazekage offered his assessment watching the winds wrap around Naruto as if he was commanding them to serve him.

"Then that would leave him susceptible to the Uchiha brat's Fire Release moves would it not?" Onoki mused rubbing his chin as he looked down at son of the Fire Shadow with a scrutinizing gaze. It was common knowledge that wind would only strengthen a fire's flames so a well placed fireball would mean game over.

"I'm sure Naruto knows of that obvious weakness but the question is did he find some way to cover that weakness." Minato surmised as he tried to reign in the pride he was feeling watching the jutsu his son had created from scratch. Minato really wished that Naruto would let them train him now, the potential he had was almost limitless.

* * *

_Combat Field_

'What is that jutsu!? I didn't see him even use one hand sign!' Sasuke thought angrily not being able to copy Naruto's jutsu which frustrated the avenger. 'If that jutsu is a wind technique then it is vulnerable to fire.' Sasuke leaned back as the burning sensation returned to fill his chest exhaling all at once a massive ball of flames came forth directly towards Naruto. **"Fire Release: Grand Fireball!** The fireball slowly started to shrink before it faded into flickers then into nothing just before reaching the stationary Naruto. Sasuke stared dumbfounded by what he had just seen happen to his ball of flames.

Naruto sighed when he saw the confused look on Sasuke's face and on most of the crowd's faces as he wondered who surrounded him with so many morons. (**AN: **That's my bad Naruto!) "Fire is a living entity and any entity needs oxygen. Fire needs oxygen to burn and when you take that away fire dies." Naruto said aloud getting a spark of realization to spread across Sasuke's face. "Did you really think that I wouldn't have a counter for such an obvious weakness? Your fire jutsu are not fast enough to take advantage of the relationship between our elements."

"Such a foolish thought…" That voice came from behind Sasuke making his _Sharingan _eyes go wide as he whirled around to face a closed eyed Naruto. Sasuke moved to question the son of the Hokage when Naruto's body began to glow. Sasuke saw that all of his chakra was being pulled to the center and compressed. Before Sasuke could retreat 'Naruto' exploded blasting Sasuke into a few boulders that were nearby making the boy cry out in immense pain. _The Great Clone Explosion_, a jutsu only accessible to those who used the _Kage Bunshin_. "A shinobi never allows an opponent to constantly get behind him." Naruto informed Sasuke while creating another Shadow Clone that stood at his side glaring at Sasuke impassively with its own _Sharingan_.

Sasuke stood up panting while clutching his left arm that was now limp from the impact against the boulder. Sasuke tried to manage his best glare but it proved to be ineffective since Sasuke was now standing on his last legs. "I will now allow you to experience what it feels like to have the air sucked from your lungs. The burning sensation that spreads throughout your body is truly unbearable." Naruto said motioning for his clone to go forward. The Clone armed with the **Fūjin no Yoroi **closed in on Sasuke and locked him in a bear hug and Sasuke gasped as he felt the oxygen being removed from his body. Sasuke shouted for Naruto to stop but all that came out was a mangled choke as that burning sensation flooded the avenger's body.

The clone who also was suffering from the same oxygen deprivation dispelled giving Naruto the second hand affects of being suffocated. Naruto winced momentarily but the Kyuubi was quickly mending the damage done to his lungs. 'Thank you…' Naruto thanked his tenant getting a grunt from the back of his mind. Naruto glanced over at Genma telling him to call the match or else Sasuke would be more than unconscious. With just that look Genma nodded while wondering just what Naruto would grow into as the medics came and took the revenge obsessed Uchiha to the medical wing for treatment.

"Winner by knockout, Naruto Namikaze-Uzumaki-Uchiha! That was the last match of the second day. Tomorrow will be the conclusion of the Chunin exams. Thank you for coming."

Naruto spared one last glare at senbon chewing Jounin for calling him a Namikaze before vanishing in a burst of black feathers avoiding any unnecessary questioning.

* * *

**Review Response: **I was thinking that some form of mythical creature would also work for a second summon but I want to stay away from another bird just so Naruto can have a variety. As for Sage mode I am not sure what or if but maybe Hashirama's or from one of the summons but that will be an issue for later. Salamander still remains a strong choice because yes it is a way to take a shot at each Sannin showing them a summon used to defeat all of them.

His Mangekyō abilities won't be Kamui because Obito is alive in this story and well I don't want any few characters to have the same special abilities aside from the Susanoo. The Kotoamatsukami (Shisui's mind control Genjutsu) is an option. Still not sure what abilities Suisei will gain when the Mangekyō comes to life I will get back to everyone on that later. But Naruto will achieve Susanoo and Amaterasu that much is certain.

Also Naruto didn't use any Genjutsu in this fight because his wouldn't be powerful enough against another Sharingan user. A month is not much in terms of training time and remember Naruto does not have all of the Kyuubi's chakra or even half of it.

As was pointed in the reviews and I am glad someone saw it, just because Naruto is courteous and civil with his sisters shows how strong of a personality he has to not throw himself to hatred like many Uchiha have but he hates what deserves it. (Parents, Villagers ect.)

As for the multi-paring as I will call it, I believe the number is hovering around 4-6. No it won't ever get into double digits of even past seven for that matter. I just won't do it.

Yes everyone, I will run through every fight since I believe every good story I have read doesn't solely focus around Naruto it expands to the world around him which yes includes others and I am glad a few agree with that.

There won't be an invasion since their all five Kage there but I will be adding events of similar magnitude but not quite the same thing but that will be in time.

**AN: Ya know I thought that the last chapter was long but this one even eclipsed the prior one which I didn't plan. I had this chapter marked up at around 11k-12k but hey who am I to complain. Again you have my thanks for the overly positive words. Leave a review and have a nice day! Ja Ne-Matt**


	9. The Second Round

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or anything in the Naruto Universe! There I said ya darn copyright laws.**

**Don't forget the Review Response section at the end of the chapter!**

Naruto Uchiha: The Prophet with the Cursed Eyes

* * *

_Daimyo_ _Booth_

The Five Daimyo were all chatting civilly while they waited for the Second Round to start each praising their own favorites remaining in the tournament. The most vocal of the Feudal Lords was the Fire Daimyo who had chosen his favorite to be Naruto after watching the boy's impressive performance against Sasuke Uchiha who was acclaimed as a genius even among Uchiha standards but then again very few even knew what those standards were. "Oh my, everyone sure is excited today, very excited indeed." The Fire Daimyo said with a small smile hidden behind his folding fan as he looked out at his people, citizens of _Hi no Kuni_.

The Lightning Daimyo who had his cheek resting in his palm looked at the crowd with an uninterested gaze before he turned to face the Fire Daimyo with a small, condescending smirk. "Yes quite the difference from the death chants they were shouting from the top of their lungs yesterday. That was quite the sight." The Lightning Daimyo said haughtily not really caring what the civilians were saying since he never trusted shinobi after the second Raikage tried to revolt against his father and bring _Kaminari no Kuni_ under one singular rule under his reign. Ever since then he made sure to have special limiters in place to prevent such an attempt from happening under his reign as Feudal Lord.

The Fire Daimyo snapped his fan shut and a serious look took place on his usually aloof appearing facial features as if he was looking at the monsters that were hiding under the skin of his citizens. "Yes when I asked Minato-san if there were any repercussions lingering after the Kyuubi's attack he assured me there were none. It appears he was mistaken." The Fire Daimyo admitted closing his eyes and shaking his head lightly. A small smile worked its way back onto his face when he opened his eyes again. "Despite what they say I believe that young Naruto did wonderfully."

This was where the Wind Daimyo inserted himself into the conversation with his thin mustache curling down as his fat face contorted down into a slight scowl at the mention of the boy who was a Jinchuuriki. "Why does it matter what the plebeians think of our tools? That's all a Jinchuuriki is, an over glorified tool used to make the Hidden Village stronger and by proxy us as well." The Feudal Lord from _Kaze no Kuni_ expressed his opinion confidently as he looked ahead but at what no one could tell due to the high degree at which his eyes were squinted.

"Well then does that mean that your village is sporadic? I mean that Gaara brat is mentally unstable on his best day so what does that say about your village ne?" The Daimyo from _Mizu no Kuni_ asked since he was irritated that they could not find his Jinchuuriki so what could he do, he could insult the other villages' _Human Sacrifices_. The Fire and Earth Daimyo ignored the other three as they got into yet another pointless argument over things that really held no relevance to the matter on hand. The two silent Feudal Lords watched as the three proctors made their way back onto the Combat Field.

* * *

_Combatant Booth_

Naruto stood there with Suisei who was not showing her _Sharingan_, on his shoulder his blood red eyes taking in the sights around him with an impassive sweep of the stadium. Naruto ignored the fact that all of the competitors left in the booth were regarding him a lot more wearily than they had done during the first two days of the tournament. 'Well almost everyone…' Naruto thought with a small sigh as he watched a mop of red hair invade his peripheral vision. Naruto glanced from the corner of his eye at Naomi who took advantage of everyone keeping their space from Naruto to start a small conversation.

"I can scare her by flying at her face and dragging my talons across her face for you if you want Naruto-kun!" Suisei offered her partner getting a contemplative hum from Naruto but ultimately ended with him saying no and Suisei huffing while muttering about not being able to have any fun.

Naruto stood there silently waiting for his sister to speak which is why he assumed she made her way over to him. Naomi stood there silently trying to find the courage to speak to her brother while an uncomfortable atmosphere surrounded the two at least in Naomi's opinion. Taking a deep breath Naomi tried to start from square one, starting off the conversation with her brother. "H-Hello Nii-san, I know you might not want to talk about it but can I ask why you didn't tell anyone about your Sharingan?" Naruto's head turned and he faced her making her squirm slightly when the cursed eyes peered right into her soul.

Naruto closed his eyes and turned back to face the field getting Naomi to release the breath she was not aware that she was holding from the moment he looked at her. Naruto looked back out at the field and Naomi was the only one who was able to see the bitterness in his eyes. "This village and I are not on the best terms and I certainly wouldn't trust the people here to keep my secret from the filth in this village." Naruto retorted harshly getting a small nod from Naomi since her opinion was pretty much the same after the fiasco yesterday.

Suisei sensing Naruto's turmoil through their _Soul Link_ nudged her head against his cheek voicing her support with a small caw getting Naruto to crack a small, thankful smile. Naruto took notice that Naomi looked like she was struggling to say what she wanted to say to him next. Naruto decided to give his younger sister a small nudge in the right direction just so she would speak. "Is there something else…Naomi?" Naruto asked using her name getting her to look up at him with surprise evident in her eyes. The surprise quickly gave way to a look of determination which was just what Naruto wanted.

"U-Uh I saw how you were able to use the wind to create armor for yourself and I was wondering if you could help me with my wind training!" Naomi blurted her request out as quickly as she could while she still had the confidence to do so. She glanced up at Naruto timidly to see how he reacted to her request but to her relief and slight unease he showed no visible reaction to what she had asked for. Naruto remained calm thanks to his training under Mihawk and Itachi as he pondered over her request. While he had come to realize that it wasn't his sisters who had caused him pain intentionally if he agreed to help her it would put him too close to those who had been the primary causes of pain in his life, and those were the same people he truly could say he despised.

"No I can't help you with your training… I am not necessarily a good teacher or even a competent one besides I am sure Minato is more than capable of aiding you in training. Besides after what happened yesterday I don't think it would be wise for one of _Konoha's_ _Princesses_ to associate with the _Demon_ willingly. The villagers will go ballistic." Naruto knew what had happened before he arrived thanks to Suisei who told him of what happened and sadly it was just like Naruto had expected. Hatred just does not go away and most in Konoha were so lost in the abyss of their hatred that no matter what he could do would fix not a thing.

"I don't care what the villagers think! They are all idiots and I don't want Tou-san to train me I want to… to spend time with my Nii-san!" Naomi argued back stubbornly since she was tired of the unfair villagers that started to show their true colors validating that letter Naruto left all those years ago. Naruto looked at her for a few moments and shook his head since Naomi just couldn't grasp the bigger picture of things. As the daughter of the Hokage she was expected to hold a certain amount of political weight in the future and even now.

"Naomi you need to listen to me. If you associate with me the idiots in the stands will believe that I have you under some sort of spell to make you a _Demon Lover_ and will call for my execution to free you. I know what Minato said yesterday but if he was to kill a majority of the people here then the village would become unstable and then the entirety of Konoha will be in danger." Naruto told his naïve sister the truth despite how cruel it sounded that was just how the world rotated. Naomi frowned but said nothing because what could she say to that, it was not something she could come up with a counter to… at least not yet.

With that both Naruto and Naomi fell into silence and waited for Akatsuchi and Yugito to kick off the first match of the second round each having their own thoughts on the interaction they had just shared.

* * *

_Combat Field_

Akatsuchi gave the Two Tails' Jinchuuriki his usual dopey smile which Yugito returned with a small smile of her own glad that she didn't have to deal with any of the people who seemed to be overflowing with arrogance. **"Alright Kitten now is your chance to impress your future mate so make sure that you win this match then you and he can go celebrate your victory from the rest of the day!" **The Nibi purred with excitement just thinking of the pleasure she would feel from the time Yugito and Naruto would spend together. Yugito was glad that she was focused in on the seriousness of the situation or else she'd be blushing up a storm. 'Not now Nibi it is time to get serious!'

The large _Iwagakure _shinobi sprinted forward his fist encased by a giant stone striking first to avoid Yugito from using her advantage in the department of speed. Yugito quickly flipped backwards as Akatsuchi's fist smashed down where she was just standing. Yugito slid in front of Akatsuchi and delivered two fists straight to his solar plexus but the larger Nin shrugged off the blows as if they were simple taps. Yugito frowned seeing that her Taijutsu was not enough to crack the _Earth_ _Armor_ of Akatsuchi. Akatsuchi swung his arm to the side at Yugito and his forearm smashed right into the two Yugito brought up to protect herself.

Yugito thanked her rapping sensei for building up her team's pain tolerance because that one attack felt like getting rammed by the painful end of a sledgehammer. Yugito didn't want to feel what it felt like to be hit squarely by an attack like that. Akatsuchi whipped his fist out at Yugito forcing her to rock back on her feet to bend out of the path of the attack. Hooking her foot around his heel Yugito spun around so that she was facing his back in an impressive feet of flexibility. Taking a kunai Yugito plunged the blade deeply into the back of his shoulder.

As soon as the kunai was buried into the large man's back his body started to lose shape before it fell to nothing more than a pile of mud at Yugito's feet getting the Kumo Jinchuuriki to skim the area for her opponent. Yugito whirled around half expecting to find the large man closing in with a sneak attack yet there was none. The stadium fell silent most searching along with Yugito wondering just how such a large man could have hidden himself well those not in tuned with a shinobi lifestyle thought that. Yugito was starting to lose her patience when her tenant suddenly shouted something to her.

"**He's below!" **The Nibi alerted her container but just a moment too late because as she looked down a large stone fist was already mid-flight and directly aiming for her exposed stomach. Yugito bit down on her tongue to keep out from crying out in pain as she felt the oxygen momentarily stripped from her lungs. Spitting up a small amount of blood Yugito's slitted eyes glared at the cheerful Rock Shinobi. She knew he wasn't insulting her with that look but in the heat of battle it felt like an insult like he wasn't taking her seriously. **"You need to calm down Kitten. You are working yourself up over nothing."**

Yugito hearing the calm voice of her trusted companion allowed herself a moment to cool her head. It was times like this that Yugito was glad she had Nibi to keep her calm and avoiding making potentially fatal mistakes. 'My Taijutsu doesn't have enough force to crack that armor so using the _Cat Claws_ would be pointless. I can't do any kind of Genjutsu thanks to all the chakra I have. It is time to dip into my Ninjutsu.' Yugito said to herself channeling her chakra into her throat creating a burning feeling to intensify. Yugito used one of the Two Tails' favorite fire styled technique.

"**Fire Release: Mouse Hairball!" **Yugito spat out a ball of hair that was quickly set ablaze by the blue flames that surrounded the Two Tails like fur. Akatsuchi who had just climbed out of the ground when the ball of flaming hair turned into a mouse before it split itself ten times in mid-flight. Six of the ten mouse shaped fireball projectiles pelted Akatsuchi at different angles making the boy yelp out in shock as the fire was hot enough to burn through his Earth Armor. Yugito let a pleased smirk flash across her face as she broke through the large man's armor with her first jutsu.

Akatsuchi dropped his _Earth Armor_ since it took up a lot of chakra and Yugito proved that she could get through it. The usual happy and almost clueless expression on the large man's face changed into an uncharacteristically serious expression. Akatsuchi buried his hands into the soil below him and Yugito was forced to watch as the once solid ground shifted into a liquid mud like substance that continued to grow and expand in its width. **"Earth Release: Mud Flow River!"** Leaping into the air Yugito fired another mouse fireball heating the mud up so she could have a small island to stand atop of. That served to backfire on the _Kumogakure_ Jinchuuriki as the current of the river whirled around the small island creating a muddy whirlpool around her. Yugito thought about jumping into the air but then she would leave herself vulnerable to an attack while being stuck in midair.

Yugito watched as the mud splashed up into the air from the sheer force and velocity of its rotations and knew that falling would spell her defeat. Yugito narrowed her eyes seeing Akatsuchi still with his hands in the dirt, which was something that she could use. Cocking her leg back Yugito focused her chakra down to the appendage and with a whip like motion her leg flew outwards towards Akatsuchi propelling a whip of fire to lash towards Akatsuchi over the muddy river. **'Fire Release: Extreme Heat Whip!' **The orange flames flew towards a surprised but alert Akatsuchi before changing into the blue flames often associated with the Nibi at least in the Village Hidden in Clouds.

Akatsuchi released his hold over the river getting the ground to shift back to a solid surface and in exchange a wall of solid stone rose up in front of him with the top half of his _Earth Golem_ projecting from the middle of the wall. (**AN: **Just like Kakashi has the ninja hound heads.) The flame whip slammed into the wall leaving a heavy, black scorch mark. Yugito leaped forward and climbed the wall like a tree so she was standing on top of the wall peering down at Akatsuchi who took notice of her presence moments after she got there. Yugito dive bombed at Akatsuchi as he tried to crumble the wall, with her claws out and pointed at him she began to spin.

"**Spiraling Claw…"** Yugito claws blurred together to look like one torpedo as she flew down at Akatsuchi who had just gotten back on to his feet. The Iwa shinobi brought his guard up hoping to absorb some of the impact but his eyes widened when he felt a terrible pain on his left side. Gripping the origin of his pain he could feel his jacket torn up and saturated with his blood and that was when he realized that she was too fast for him to handle now that he was wounded. Akatsuchi looked behind him when footsteps alerted him to his opponent's approach but he couldn't find it in him to move.

Yugito spread her claws so that they were on each side of his throat just on the off chance that the large Earth Nin had some form of fight in him. "It would be best if you forfeited the match." Yugito stated seriously slightly pushing her claws into his skin getting light lines to open and bleed slightly to make the threat all the more realistic. Akatsuchi knew he was done and had no plans on being stubborn about it.

"I-I g-give…" Akatsuchi choked out the blood loss starting to affect his motor functions and as the proctor named Yugito the winner the large man was taken back to medics for treatment.

* * *

_Combatant Booth_

"What did you guys think?" Yugito asked with a playful smirk as she entered the booth to be greeted by her two teammates almost immediately getting a smile from the blonde Jinchuuriki. Karui was practically exploding with boisterous praise for her teammate while Samui indicated her approval with a much cooler nod of the head. Yugito chuckled at the quirks each member of her team seemed to possess.

Yugito glanced over to Naruto only to sigh when she saw he was not even glancing in her direction. She had really hoped to get some kind of word with the young man with the red eyes, realizing where her thoughts were going she stopped them cold. 'Wait why do I even care what Naruto-san thinks of me?' Yugito asked surprised by her own thoughts while Nibi decided to add in her own two cents. **"Why Kitten it is only natural that you want the approval of your mate." **The Nibi purred out getting an angered and embarrassed blush from her container as they went to argue about how Naruto was or was not her mate.

"Yosh it is my turn to prove just how brightly my flames of youth can get! Soon the whole world will see just how splendid I am!" Lee burst out loudly no longer able to hold back his youthful impulses from breaking his excited surface. His eyes were ablaze with the fires of battle in the normally black orbs.

Fu who had the honor of being closest to Lee when he had his youthful eruption could only back away uncomfortably due to Lee's intense personality. "Ah right…" Fu stated slowly not really sure what she was agreeing with but thankfully it would seem that Lee didn't hear her unsure reply. Not able to stay in place any longer Lee launched himself over the railing down on to the field below.

The Suna Jinchuuriki stood in position away from everyone else because most were afraid to stay to close to him The closest person to Gaara was Naruto who just didn't care who he was near and neither did Gaara. Gaara watched Lee look up at him and he let a grin flash across his face so quick Lee missed it looking right at him. Gaara disappeared inside of a _Sand_ _Shunshin_ with one thought going through his mind.

'Just how will your blood dye my sand?'

* * *

_Combat Field_

Lee's cheerful disposition was quickly replaced by a serious and determined expression once Gaara arrived on the field across from him. The Fuzzy Browed Chunin hopeful just like everyone present remembered the brutal efficiency Gaara displayed during the first day of the exams which made him wearier around the youngest of the Sand Waterfall siblings. Lee though felt the un-youthful feeling of disdain for how Gaara treated his long time crush, Sakura. Lee silently vowed to avenge Sakura's unnecessarily brutal defeat. Gaara on the other hand was showing nothing but if one was to look into his pale-blue eyes they would find the hunger for blood in those void eyes.

Lee pulled up his leg warmers showing off the weights he had strapped around his shins which Lee moved to get rid of right off the bat. Gaara allowed this since it would be more enjoyable that way when he took the blood forcibly from Lee's body. Dropping each weight to one side resulting in a crater Lee disappeared from the sight of many of the Genin as he began racing around the Suna Jinchuuriki. Gaara stood there confidently as his sand swirled around him protectively, his absolute defense, which was the defense that had yet to be broken even against the assassins in the village his sand held strong.

Lee came to a sudden halt behind Gaara with a strong right aimed straight at the back of his skull but was intercepted by a blast of sand that caught his hand. Flashes of what happened to Sakura's arm went through Lee's head quickly forcing him to leap back and become and indistinguishable blur. Gaara didn't bother to try and search for Lee because he knew that his opponent had to come to him. Not a moment later Lee's leg was smashed against Gaara's sand sending some grains over his kanji for love engraved on the side of his forehead. This time when Lee leaped back the sand followed him like a wave that threatened to engulf him.

Gaara's mother voiced its displeasure when it did not feel any kind of unnatural disturbance underneath the large amount of sand from Gaara's gourd. **"Hurry Gaara, I want his blood!" **Came the slightly crazed voice of his _Mother_ from deep in Gaara's mind, accompanied by a much more frenzied sand that swirled around the auburn haired Jinchuuriki. Upon Gaara's silent command the sand flew at Lee making the green spandex wearing Genin kick it up a notch in the opposite direction of the incoming sand. Gaara grinned when some of his sand looped around the ankle of his opponent making him stumble out of his quick strides.

Lee threw a powerful kick that broke his ankle free from the sand shackle ultimately saving it from being demolished under the sand's crushing force. Lee saw the sand all crush down on where his ankle was just moments prior and breathed a small sigh of relief before racing towards Gaara with determined eyes. Lee easily avoided the blasts of sand that Gaara tossed at him to keep him away and got within the _Sunagakure _Genin's defensive guard. Not wanting to waste his first meaningful opportunity against his sand wielding opponent. Tensing his arm to support his weight Lee drove his foot with incredible force taking Gaara off his feet and knocking him up into the air.

'Why is his body so dense?' Lee thought feeling how his foot impacted Gaara and how heavy the Jinchuuriki felt. However, Lee did not have any time to think on the development as he pushed off his hands up into the air under Gaara. Lee started to kick Gaara straight into the air getting both shinobi to elevate from the driving force behind the mighty kicks. 'There it is again! My kicks are not doing nearly as much damage as they should!' Lee growled as the strain on his muscles from the upside down kicks was starting to become notable but luckily for Lee they were at the top of their flight pattern.

Lee using his incredible speed moved behind Gaara much like he had during his first round match and wrapped up Gaara as tightly as he could not needed to hold back on the auburn haired Genin. Their bodies began to spin quickly as they plummeted back down to the ground ten times faster than the speed they had used to get up there. **"Front Lotus!" **Lee cried out as the spinning mass of bodies neared the ground. Remembering Kurotsuchi's advice from the first round Lee waited to the very last moment before releasing his bindings. A thick cloud of dust filled the air as Gaara's body slammed into the ground.

Lee stood there with a victorious smirk on his face as he waited for the dust to clear and what no doubt would be an unconscious and hopefully not dead Gaara. No matter how tough he was being dropped on your head at that speed without a chance to brace would lead to certain defeat. Lee was brimming with pride because not only had he proven his mettle as a splendid shinobi but he was also able to get a measure of payback for his beloved Sakura. With the moment of rest came the lack of adrenaline making Lee drop to a knee in fatigue.

When the dust cleared Lee's jaw went limp for a moment before the fiery expression returned full force because, Gaara was indeed on lying on his head but around his head was sand that cushioned Gaara saving him from the deadly impact of the _Front Lotus_. Gaara got back onto his feet while Lee was trying to figure out what happened since he was sure that he had Gaara pinned stopping him from manipulating the sand. Lee got his answer when the sand that was on the ground formed to take a shape of a gourd which was now resting on Gaara's back. Lee silently cursed Gaara's versatile sand as he tried to recover from the physical toll his body experienced during the prolonged setup to the _Front Lotus_, which required him to open Kaimon (Gate of Opening).

Lee watched as Gaara commanded his sand to bind Lee which it did without question taking a deep breath Lee could feel the sand crawling around his legs and steadily getting higher and higher. Gaara's grin threatened to split his face believing that Lee had given up and he was about to kill the Fuzzy Browed Genin. **"Kyūmon: Kai!" **(Gate of Healing: Release!) Lee took a deep breath as he felt his energy start to return to his body as well as how his body felt lighter. **"Seimon: Kai!" **(Gate of Life: Release!) Lee's skin started to turn red as blood flow increased to each and every muscle in his body. An intense pulse of energy blasted the sand from his body revealing him to everyone in the stadium.

'I can use the Reverse Lotus now but Gaara is tough and durable I need to power up all of the way.' Lee thought as he started to unlock the next gate as everyone watched on in some form of surprise. **"Shōmon: Kai!" **(Gate of Pain: Release!) Lee could feel the enormous amount of chakra flowing through his body thanks to the opened gates and grit his teeth he still had one more to go. **"Tomon: Kai!" **(Gate of Limit: Release!) Lee fluidly switched from the powering up position to his standard _Strong Fist_ Taijutsu style with a fierce determination within his pure white eyes.

* * *

_In The Stands_

"H-He can open five of the Eight Inner Gates?" Kakashi asked in shock a far shift from his usual laid back, hip attitude as Gai would call it. The feat of opening any of the gates was extremely difficult even for a talented, seasoned Jounin like Kakashi yet here a Genin could manage to open five of them. This was a sentiment shared by all of the Jounin except for Lee's teacher who had personally taught his clone the Taijutsu forbidden technique.

'Lee this is your power?' The Hyuga prodigy of Team Nine thought as he watched his teammate ascend to a realm of power Neji could only hope to reach one day. It was a real eye opener for the boy obsessed with fate to see someone he deemed inferior to clearly out class him.

"Gai how can you lecture me about teaching Sasuke my Chidori when you taught the Eight Inner Gates to a Genin!?" Kakashi asked indignantly since his rival had wasted no time in questioning his judgment with how he taught Sasuke.

"My reason for teaching Lee the Eight Inner gates is personal. Much like me Lee had no skills in Gen or Ninjutsu but he had the strongest desire to become a splendid shinobi. He reminded me so much of me that I felt obligated to help him succeed." Gai said seriously his fists clenching slightly as he gazed down proudly at his protégé.

"Gai-sensei what are these Eight Inner Gates you keep referring to?" Shino asked curiously turning his head so that he could face the spandex wearing Jounin, his glasses reflecting a shimmer almost as if they were resonating his curiosity.

"I am glad you asked that most youthful question Shino! The Eight Gates limit the overall flow of chakra within a person's body. The idea of the chakra gates comes from the body's limits on the functions that go on within it. This makes the body much weaker, but it keeps the body from expiring or killing itself. Lee and I have undergone intense training, so we could learn how to open these gates allowing us to surpass our own un-youthful physical limits by each gate opened!" Gai explained with his usual jovial attitude returning full force getting Asuma to let a sweat drop form while wondering if he was bipolar.

Kiba let out an impressed whistle when he heard what Gai was telling them. It was basically that each gate opened made you increasingly stronger than you were originally. That gave Kiba maybe his best idea since he had coupled with Akamaru. "Wait… so what happens when you open all eight of the gates?"

"You obtain power that surpasses even Kage level shinobi!" Gai replied proudly with a beaming grin but just as quick as it came it left. "But your body will also turn to ash from frying your body…" Gai admitted with a slight frown since no one had ever survived opening the final gate.

The Genin that had accumulated in the stands were all filled with an awe seeing just how strong one of their own really was. It showed them just how much work they needed to put in if they were to have any chance of surviving in the shinobi world.

* * *

_Combat Field_

"Here I go..." Lee whispered before taking off at an inhumane speed straight for Gaara who tried to use his sand to impede and possibly prevent Lee's charge but to no avail. Lee flashed in front of Gaara and with a swift uppercut powered by a massive amount of chakra Gaara was knocked high into the air. Lee proceeded to strike and bash Gaara hundreds of times while in midair from one point to the next. The amount of pure energy burning off Lee left a visible pathway in the air from where he and Gaara were traveling and large splatter like marks marking where Gaara and Lee paused and where Lee attacked.

The inhumane attack continued on for the better half of the next moment leaving the crowd captivated by the talents displayed by the Fuzzy Browed Genin. With a yell of equal parts determination and pain Lee ended the _Reverse Lotus_ forbidden Taijutsu with a closed hand strike and kick at the same time sending Gaara spiraling down into the ground with a fierce bang that sounded like a gunshot. Hovering midair the red hue of Lee's skin faded back to a much more normal skin complex with sweat dripping down his temples the strain of the technique evident on Lee's face.

The crowd all started to speak in a hushed whisper that had all blended together into an indistinguishable noise. Not that Lee heard anything his vision and all his senses were solely focused on the teen with kanji for Love on his head, nothing else mattered. Falling to the ground was too much for Lee's battered body to handle and he collapsed onto his chest panting heavily as he kept one eye on the site of Gaara's impact. Lee groaned he could feel that a number of his muscles were torn at various places on his body but he knew the consequences in using the Reverse Lotus.

Slowly a silhouette of a short teen appeared in the cloud of dirt and rocks and walked through the veil and to the shock of most it was Gaara and he appeared to not have a scratch on him. Lee was left in a state of disbelief as he looked at Gaara who was grinning maliciously at his bewildered opponent. That was when everyone saw that there was Sand falling from Gaara's body chipped at places where Gaara was struck the most but in those places was Gaara's unblemished skin. The Sand Armor eventually fell to the ground around Gaara's feet with small red specks littering the grains of sand.

Lee couldn't believe his eyes not only had he spent himself hitting Gaara with his best and strongest attack yet Gaara was showing no sign of discomfort. Lee felt the fumes he was already running out start to go dry. Lee growled slightly when the auburn haired Jinchuuriki's sand started to swirl around Gaara like it wasn't happy at what Lee had just tried to do to Gaara but Lee shrugged it off. Dropping into a very weak form of his Taijutsu style Lee bit down the groan when his torn muscles moved to accommodate what he had forced them to do.

* * *

_Combatant Booth_

"Why is there all that red in the sand? I don't see any open wounds on Gaara or Lee?" Narumi asked while looking at the sand at the _Sunagakure _Genin's feet with an intensity that Naruto naturally produced. Everyone took a closer glance at what Narumi had pointed out and too wondered just what was going on.

Yuna who had a sneaking suspicion about what the red specks were looked over to the one person she knew could see what it was, Naruto. "You can see, what is that stuff Naruto-san?" Yuna asked while looking over to the teen with the crow on his shoulder hoping he would answer or she'd feel really awkward about trying to talk to him.

Naruto's _Sharingan_ spun lazily as he looked down at the sand already determining what the red in Gaara's sand was. Naruto turned slowly to face Yuna with his Sharingan still spinning around ignoring the fact everyone else was still looking at him. Yuna fought down the red that threatened to flood her cheeks when Naruto began to speak. "That is not blood but trace amounts yokai." Naruto said plainly before turning back to the field.

"Yokai?" Choji took a moment's pause in his snacking to question the word Naruto had used but it was clear Naruto would not be the one to answer. Fu, Yugito, Samui and Yuna all looked over to Choji and Shikamaru who were looking at them with questioning glances.

"You don't what Yokai is? Yokai is basically the chakra of a demon usually a Tailed Beast is the origin." Yugito informed the clueless portion of the booth that included more than Choji and Shikamaru. It was a matter Yugito knew plenty about having one of those so called demons sealed inside of her stomach.

* * *

_Combat Field_

Lee watched on helplessly as the sand flew at him but his pride would not allow him to quit the match no matter how often the proctor seemed to ask. Lee tried to throw a wobbly punch at the sand but the sand morphed its shape to cast itself around his forearm. Lee looked tiredly at Gaara's opened hand and tried his best to glare at his opponent. The action only seemed to amuse Gaara and with a quick clenching off his hand Lee could feel his right forearm shatter in multiple places. Lee's mouth opened up in a silent scream but the Fuzzy Browed Genin still stubbornly held onto his conscious.

"Watch as the sand runs red with your blood!" Gaara demanded with quiet voice that held an undertone of bloodlust within the gravely sound. Lee closed his eyes in a resigned fashion refusing to quit as the sand continued to slowly swarm around his body all the way up to his neck. Gaara started to close his fingers and Lee could feel the pressure slowly starting to increase but before Lee could be compressed under the sand there was an explosion of sand. Once the sand returned to Gaara's person there stood Gai with his arm outstretched and a grave look on his face.

"That's enough I won't let you harm my precious student any further!" Gai said with so much devotion and love that it made the emotionless Gaara actually wince as he looked Gai with a questioning look. Questioning why he would do something like that for someone who was weak and not for himself. Another voice whispered love but it wasn't the voice Gaara called Mother it was a much softer voice that he hadn't heard before. Gaara watched as Gai went to check on the unconscious yet still standing Rock Lee gripping his head to try an quell the confusing thoughts storming his head.

"Winner by forfeit, Gaara Sabaku!" Gaara did not acknowledge anything as he went back to the booth still holding his head and his sand whipping about violently as if echoing the storm of emotions he was feeling.

Every person moved away from the evident danger of Gaara's sand as the boy in mention looked up at each and every person seeming them move away only furthered to intensify the emotions Gaara had thought he locked away. The only two being in the booth who weren't bothered were Naruto who never broke from his calm demeanor and Suisei since she knew Naruto was right there. Gaara's white eyes that were blank to anyone else where desperate when they met Naruto's calm red _Sharingan_. Gaara's eyes widened momentarily as his hands dropped down to his side and his sand calmed down as well. The auburn haired Jinchuuriki couldn't describe it but he felt a strange serene feeling sweep through him.

* * *

_Combat Field_

Karui instantly pressed on her sword driven fury from the moment that the proctor had begun the match. Not wanting to be split in half Naomi quickly dashed to her left as the shining steel of Karui's sword as it came in a downward slash. Naomi felt the pressure of actually having her elder brother watching her match. It was this pressure that hatched the idea that if she was to showcase her ability with wind then maybe she could convince Naruto to help her hone her wind affinity. Naomi swayed back using her natural flexibility to bend back so Karui's sword would harmlessly pass over the front of her face.

Naomi swept up a pebble as she dragged her hand across the ground with a small smile as she evaded a follow up slash from her fellow red head. Naomi kicked Karui in the hands making the Kumo kunoichi grimace and back off momentarily. Flicking her wrist the daughter of the Hokage sent the pebble she had taken zooming past Karui's ear confusing the girl as to why her opponent used a rock on her. Though when her amber eyes went to where Naomi was all she could see was a plume of smoke filling the air. Her questioning was ended when there was a sharp impact at her ribs then sent her tumbling backwards. Karui managed to stop her momentum by burying her sword in the ground.

'She substituted with that rock after she threw it knowing I wouldn't think anything of a small rock…' Karui growled to herself as she pulled her sword out of the ground and placed it on its rightful place on her back. Karui knew that focusing in on Kenjutsu like her partner Omoi who probably make her shinobi career difficult but that didn't mean she didn't learn a few jutsu to help her out of tight situations like the one she found herself in against one of _Konoha's Princesses_. Going through a series of seals Karui put her hands on the ground and shouted out resolutely. **"Lightning Release: Shocking Inspiration!" **

The Lightning Release technique raced towards Naomi with a startling amount of speed however, Naomi had prepared herself from the moment Karui began her signs. With a chakra enhanced jump Naomi flew upwards with her hands merged together in front of her face hiding the grin that she was sporting. **"Wind Release: Changing Currents." **The wind started to flow in one direction which had Karui believing a strike was going to come from there but when it seemed like the perfect chance the wind shifted direction at a much faster speed. This continued much to Karui's agitation and paranoia until Naomi put one palm over the back of her other hand.

"**Wind Release: Playground of the Twister!" **Naomi shouted with a small smirk because she didn't think that she would ever have enough time to perform this jutsu but it would seem that Karui was more than glad to give her the time needed. The wind started to form into a circular wall of wind around the _Kumogakure _swordswoman and soon the pressure got to be too much for Karui to stand on her feet. If her mind had been clearer she would have remembered she could channel chakra to the soles of her feet. Karui started to get tossed from one section of the twister elevating her body with each ejection from the twister.

'I didn't want to show off this much already but I needed to so that maybe my ability could convince Nii-san to help me further my training so that I can use this move without needing my first jutsu. Plus I'd be able to spend time with him.' Naomi thought with a truly happy smile as the tornado started to dissipate. Karui fell onto her back with a number of cuts littered across her body and her trusty sword nowhere in sight. Naomi reached into her pouch and flicked a kunai at the downed Karui. The crowd gasped believing that Naomi was killing someone out of cold blood but sighed in relief when the kunai landed next to Karui's head.

The proctor walked over to Karui and saw that she was unconscious and no longer in position to fight. Signaling for the medics to come and take away Karui the proctor rose back to his feet and sent a small nod to Naomi telling the red head all she needed to know. Naomi started to walk away not really finding herself wanting the praise of the public that had fallen so low in her eyes over the span of the tournament. Meanwhile the crowd was clapping enthusiastically since one of their own defeated a foreign ninja the most vocal of course was one very proud mother.

* * *

_Kage Booth_

"Your daughter is quite powerful Hokage-dono. It is always nice to see a strong kunoichi coming up in the world." The world's first female Kage said while smiling as she watched the young Namikaze-Uzumaki walking back towards the booth that held the Genin. Mei at first was intrigued with Kurotsuchi who could use Yōton like she did but she was too arrogant for her liking.

Minato nodded with a small smile on his face as his persona of a father took over his village leader persona for the time being. "Yes she is, they both are for that matter. I was surprised however that she had time to perform the jutsu that required her to use her final jutsu. That was something we did not count on." Minato admitted with a smaller smile as he started to shift back to his role as the Hokage.

"That Karui girl was foolish to sit there and allow her opponent to create a jutsu to defeat her. If this was an uncontrolled environment she could have easily been killed." The Kazekage said sternly with his arms crossed tightly across his chest ignoring the pointed look the headstrong Raikage was giving him. If the Raikage didn't like the truth then he was just as foolish as his Genin and that was the Kazekage's thought process.

Onoki nodded his head with an agreeable hum as he looked on as Karui was carried to the medics where she would be until she woke up from her bout with unconsciousness. "Watching as an enemy prepares to defeat you is definitely not a quality in Chunin which in term is a team leader in some cases." This only served to fuel the Raikage's glare but even while cheering on his home he could not dispute the words of his peers.

"Your shinobi is up next is she not Tsuchikage-dono?" Mei asked an obvious question just to try and alleviate the tense atmosphere that was starting to accumulate around the five Kage level Nin.

The Sandaime Tsuchikage nodded his head with a small grin since Yuna had proved herself well thus far without even revealing too much. Showing she was using a shinobi's most powerful tool, deception. "That she is… that she is."

* * *

_Combat Field_

Fu stared down Yuna with a rather heated look since she was aware of the blushing state the diving helmet wearing kunoichi was in every time Naruto so much as glanced at her. Fu was not sure personally why she felt such an ugly feeling when she saw how Yuna was acting, and it seemed that Chomei had no comment on her behavior. Fu looked past Yuna and saw Naruto glancing down at the field but he seemed to not be looking at any one thing in certain. The mint haired Jinchuuriki from Taki had to win because she wanted to see Naruto kick her vile teammate's sorry being all around the arena.

Yuna too was lost in her own thoughts about how this tournament could play out from the matchups to the final result. Eventually her thoughts drifted towards Naruto and just the calm presence that he seemed to create by just being present it was what she was looking for in a man unlike most she had seen so far. The men in the tournament either had a massive problem with energy, arrogance, or bloodlust but not the raven haired teen with his _Sharingan_. No, there was something different, something she wanted to get to know. The thought of that brought a serene smile to the _Iwagakure _kunoichi.

However both knew for any advancement to continue they had to go through the person across from them and that's what they would do.

Yuna moved forth and threw a moderately quick punch wanting to test how Fu's reaction time was and Fu was not one to disappoint as she moved her feet nimbly shifting back keeping the fist from contacting her face. Yuna grinned behind the cage on the front of helmet and threw a quicker corkscrew like punch that hit with a solid thud. However that solid thud was because Fu had brought her elbow up to block off the impactful smash of Yuna's fist. Fu seeing the grinning face of Yuna couldn't help but grin as well since not many of the Genin or Chunin could keep up with her but here was another kunoichi which only made the experience that much more enjoyable for the Nanabi Jinchuuriki.

Fu drove her knee up but it was stopped when her opponent from _Iwagakure_ blocked the advance with both of her hands. Using her newfound free hands Fu threw out a hook to Yuna's throat not wanting to smash her hand or knuckles against that helmet that Yuna was wearing. Yuna brought a hand up swiftly to catch the incoming fist which got a smirk from the orange eyed girl because her other fist was closing in on the opposite side. The smirk quickly changed faces when Yuna also easily blocked the second attack. Fu growled when Yuna refused to release her fists and did something she shouldn't have.

Fu without thinking about it smashed her forehead against the part of the helmet just above the cage getting dizzied looks in both girls' eyes. Fu because she had directly attacked the helmet and Yuna because her head rattled in the helmet and the loud sound of Fu's head assaulting the helmet rung in closed space. Chomei wasn't sure if he was supposed to laugh at Fu's dismissal of the obvious or shake his head at the stupidity so in the end he settled with one huge sweat drop on the back of his beetle like head. Both girls got their bearings back at approximately the same time and stared at each other with much more serious looking faces than before.

"Okay that wasn't one of my brightest moments during a fight." Fu muttered to herself with a small shake of her head trying to chase away the slight ring filling her ears. Yuna brought her hands to the sides of her helmet and sighed when she felt that the tubes were still lodged into the docking ports on the helmet. Yuna brought her hands down and pushed off her back foot towards Fu taking the mint haired teen by surprise. And in that shocked state Fu was unable to counter as Yuna buried her foot straight to where Chomei was sealed getting Fu to gasp painfully.

Growling with a slight scowl Fu took hold of Yuna's ankle and spun her around twice getting the _Iwagakure _Genin to yelp out in surprise as her world spun around and around. The spin cycle Fu was creating brought back up the vertigo from the helmet rattling rendering Yuna incapable of sticking the landing thus making her tumbling across the field. Fu quickly caught up to her opponent and before she could recover delivered a harsh straight right of her own into Yuna's stomach making her grimace and roll away as a second punch fell to the ground where she was prone.

Yuna got back to her feet and massaged the area struck with a small frown but there was the competitive fire in her dark grey eyes. She would give it to her mint haired opponent, she was agile and could hit with a nice amount of pop behind her strikes. But so were Yuna's attacks and Fu could attest to that from how her gut felt from the few blows that Yuna had given her during their exchange. Both fighters came to the same conclusion that a Taijutsu fight would only be a waste of energy with no winner being certain.

Yuna grinned at her opponent dusting off her clothing with an air of confidence surrounding her that made Fu bristle but she didn't act on the feeling she simply waited. Yuna looking back at her opponent rolled her shoulders and smirked. "Why don't we kick it up a notch because I am really tired of going nowhere and fast?" Yuna offered getting a small nod from Fu who was feeling just the same but had yet to vocalize it. More excitable members of the audience moved towards the edge of their seats to see what the talented kunoichi would show them.

* * *

_Combatant Booth_

"Those two sure know what they are doing with their fists." Shikamaru said watching the impressive hand to hand combat between the two kunoichi. While normally the Nara heir would use the time to catch some shut eye he figured it would be best to keep tabs on potential fighters though there was something else.

"Y-Yes they are quite formidable in their own rights." Chojuro agreed returning to his more shy side that he frequented when he was off the battle field. One would think that being one of the legendary _Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist_ would bring confidence or even arrogance not a shy passive attitude.

"If the kunoichi in our village trained half as hard as those two have instead of trying to gain some boy's attention then maybe I would admit that allowing them to be shinobi wasn't a mistake but until that day comes…" Naruto trailed off getting a small giggle from both Haku and Yugito and face palms from his sisters who were just ashamed to be part of this generation's kunoichi class in their village.

"Yes fan girls are not cool." Samui added calmly with a small frown remembering the few fan girls that were in Kumo but not quite to the level of the Hidden Leaf's amount of fan girls and boys, thankfully.

Gaara who was standing off to the side continued to shoot glances towards Naruto ignoring the rants of his _Mother_ in favor of looking towards the enigma of the tournament. Naruto who was aware of Gaara's eyes ignored them for the moment in favor of watching the fight.

* * *

_Combat Field_

"**Water Release: Violent Water Wave!" **Fu's mouth opened wide as a swirling tide of water stormed out straight for Yuna. Yuna watched as the water traveled the first few feet on the ground before springing high into the air still based on the ground creating a large, roaring wave of water. Yuna jumped back going through the hand signs for her counter technique in response to Fu's offensive jutsu.

"**Water Release: Water Encampment Wall!" **Yuna hollered as a cylindrical wall of water shot from the ground around Yuna spinning to keep its shape. The wave slammed into the wall and the two sources of water created a light mist that sprinkled over the crowd. The wave of water was spilt when the wall proved to be too powerful and then the wave parted around the wall of water. Leaving a _Mizu Bunshin _to fuel the jutsu vanished in a jet stream of purple smoke from the top of her water wall. Fu who was too indulged in watching her jutsu lose to Yuna's wasn't paying attention as Yuna formed directly behind the Jinchuuriki.

"What are we looking at?" Yuna asked with a cheeky grin getting Fu to tense when she sensed that Yuna was directly behind her. Fu tried to turn but when she heard what Yuna said next she knew it was a moment too late. **"Water Release: Gunshot!" **Fu cried out when the concentrated orb of water blasted her behind the shoulders and through the air directly towards one of the stadium's walls. Yuna waited to see if her opponent would crash or if she could right herself before the wall did it for her. Just when it looked like it would be the latter something Yuna was not expecting to happen, happened.

Just before Fu could crash into the wall a pair of green wings sprouted from her back and flapped keeping her momentum from sending her crashing into the stadium wall. Fu thanked Chomei as she turned to look at Yuna with a firm frown etched on her face. The crowd was left in awe as they watched the mint haired kunoichi start to hover with the aid of Chomei's wings. However, Fu knew that if the villagers knew that she held a beast like Naruto did they too would clamor for her head as was typical for people who feared what they couldn't understand.

Yuna looked at the forest, green wings that were currently coming from the back of her opponent from _Takigakure _with a scrutinizing gaze. That was when it clicked and she realized that she was actually fighting a Jinchuuriki. 'Han-san told me of the Tailed Beasts and what village had which at the current time. If she has the Seven Tailed Beetle sealed within her then I can't trade jutsu with her or she will outlast me. I need to finish this but I need to get in close which may be a problem with her flying.' Yuna adopted a much more serious expression now fully realizing just who she was dealing with.

"**Secret Nanabi Art: First Hive!" **Upon Fu's command which was basically the command of the _Grand insect_, Chomei the small bugs swarmed around Yuna who was trying to bat the small forms of life from the air. Fu let a small smirk play across her face because those small bugs were not normal chakra parasites they were also created with a unique poison that would render her opponent immobile making the fight come to an smiled contently when she saw Yuna fall to the ground but then her bugs fell dead, like a small bomb hit them. However, luckily one bug survived and returned to Fu with results.

"**Fu-girl, the bugs died because her chakra properties are greater than poisonous they are-"** Chomei's urgent voice was tuned out at the last moment in favor for Yuna's voice that was suddenly behind her and way too close for comfort.

"Taking your concentration off of your opponent are we? Well that's just foolish." Fu then felt two fingers touch the back of her neck at its base and then the mint haired Jinchuuriki's world went dark. Her wings dissipating as her body shut down and her mind wandered into the realm of unconsciousness. Yuna landed on the ground lightly with a small sweat adorned on her brow from the jutsu she had to use in the fight, but she managed to save enough for the next rounds. The proctor moved closer to find that Fu was indeed out unlike when Yuna faked it moments before the final attack.

"Winner by knockout, Yuna Neira…"

* * *

_Combat Field, Minutes Later_

Narumi stood looking at her classmate with a small smile already knowing how gentle of a soul the boy had. The blonde haired kunoichi knew that he was probably already having his doubts about fighting her and the reason he got to this round was because the idiot Choji fought the round before called him fat. Narumi almost chuckled remembering how funny it was watching the boy from Taki flee from Choji's righteous anger. Narumi let out a small sigh before regarding Choji with a much more serious look. "Choji I know you don't want to fight me and I don't want to fight you… so please give up."

Choji looked down into his bag of chips his lips pursing down into a straight line as he contemplated the offer he was given. It was true that he really didn't wish to hurt any of his comrades; it was always like that, even since the academy. Plus the young Akimichi wasn't even sure he could beat the Hokage's daughter. It was these kind of situations in which that Choji really missed the absence of Shikamaru. Plus he wasn't even positive that he could make the rank of Chunin this year because even his clan techniques were lacking. "Er… I don't know."

'He only needs one little push…' Narumi thought with a small, internal grin that she hid behind a calm visage. That grin would even make Naruto when in his prankster mode proud of his sister. Narumi was going through a small checklist of things that could tempt the snack loving boy. She stopped dead when she realized that she was actually thinking about what she needed to tempt the snack loving shinobi. "I'm sure that Asuma-sensei promised you barbeque for winning your first round match. Wouldn't you want to go there and enjoy your reward as soon as you can instead of being stuck in the medical ward where they won't let you eat?"

Choji's eyes went wide when he realized the grave consequences of being stuck inside of a hospital bed. Not only would he not be able to eat but he would also have to wait to go to his precious barbeque. His hands clenched slightly over his bag of chips getting a small smirk from Narumi seeing as how the gears were going in Choji's mind. Narumi stood there waiting patiently for the Akimichi heir's decision as was the proctor since she had yet to move seeing as the two comrades were being rather friendly. "Alright, Proctor-san I give up on the match." Choji said with a small smile obviously not all that beat up over forfeiting.

The entire stadium sat in absolute silence at Choji's rather easy going way of surrendering the match. Even the kunoichi from Kumo who was acting as the proctor was looking at the Akimichi like he had grown a second head and that head belonged to Orochimaru. Every soul was thinking how he could pass up the chance to prove his worth. The only person who didn't seem shocked was the Nara in the competition who wore a fond smile as he shook his head lightly. The proctor was the first to break from the shock that had descended down on the stadium but not before giving Choji one small disbelieving glance. "Winner by verbal surrender, Narumi Namikaze-Uzumaki."

* * *

_In The Stands_

"D-Did that just happen?" Konoha's Snake Mistress asked in shock even stopping from eating her dango so that she could try and figure out if what happened was real. Her best friend Kurenai wasn't all that sure either and even thought to check to see if it was a Genjutsu.

Kushina however couldn't help it as she started to break out into laughter even going so far as to grip her ribs as her body shook with laughter. While it may have seemed like Narumi was trying to help Choji all it really did was save her from a fight and conserve chakra. "That's my girl!"

Asuma took a new cancer stick replacing the one that dropped to the dirty ground when Choji quit without lifting a finger. Shaking his head the bearded Jounin knew it was a mistake to promise his student barbeque before he was done fighting. "What can you do?" Asuma breathed out a sigh with a small shrug.

Sakura was giggling but not at Choji, no she was giggling that her rival was wearing such a dumbfounded expression. Wiping the imaginary tear from her eye with her one good hand Sakura turned to the Yamanaka heiress with a sly grin. "So that's your teammate eh Ino? Oh that's rich."

The platinum blonde haired kunoichi's brow started to twitch hearing her rival's words she couldn't help but sneer with displeasure. It was also the anger that made the words come from her mouth that she hadn't spoken in quite a while. "Shut up Billboard Brow!"

Sakura gasped her eyes going wide before her hair shadowed her eyes, her one good hand clenching into a fist as she spoke. "No you shut up Ino-pig!" And like that the two were forehead to forehead growling at each other.

* * *

_Combat Field_

Haku stood silently watching as Samui pulled out her weapon of choice the Tanto and brandished it a few times underneath the sun's intense spotlight. Haku watched on silently not intimidated by the display but silently admitting that it was cool. Haku responded in kind by drawing the handle of _Snowfall_. This action caught the _Kumogakure _kunoichi's attention as she watched on as a long, slightly curved blade sprung from the hilt. Samui allowed a frown to grace her beautiful face when she saw she was already at a disadvantage. Haku's sword was longer and could be augmented with chakra. Samui decided to try and use an unsavory tactic. "You know that my Sensei is an expert with a sword. Challenging me would most certainly lead to your defeat."

Haku looked at her blonde opponent with a slight tilt to her head since it didn't seem like Samui was the arrogant type. No, it had to be that she didn't want to have to deal with the challenges _Snowfall_ provided her. Haku shook her head with a pleasant smile sticking her left foot in front of her right with her sword held out like a katana. She could never face Zabuza if she gave up so easily just like Choji had done minutes earlier. "I am sorry Samui-san but I could never give up so easily. Zabuza-sama would never forgive me for taking such a way out."

Samui nodded and sped forward towards Haku who had already began her swing almost cut Samui across the abdomen but the blonde kunoichi managed to halt all of her momentum. Haku smiled ignoring Samui's discontent expression opting to step forward with a downward slice with her blade made of ice. Samui stopped the ice sword with her Tanto holding her metallic blade against the base of the ice natured weapon. Growling slightly Samui lashed out with a swift kick for Haku's midsection. Haku's eyes glanced down the moment Samui's foot started to move giving the ice kunoichi plenty of time to dodge.

The blonde from Kumo decided she would take the attack to the raven haired girl from the Village Hidden in the Mist. A quick slash from the short blade towards the long ice blade was easily blocked but Samui had another trick ready this time. A sudden charge of electricity ran through the blade shattering the ice and cutting across Haku's forearms when she blocked her torso from being stabbed. Haku shook away the tingling feeling in her arms in favor for channeling her chakra back into _Snowfall _creating an exact copy of her first weapon. Haku lowered her blade back down assuming the ready stance once more.

Samui's eyes narrowed at her opponent confused as to why she would recreate the same weapon when the outcome was obvious. Shrugging away that thought Samui went forth but this time ready to score a more debilitating hit. Her lightning charged Tanto descended towards the ice blade but just before the weapons came into contact _Snowfall's _from shifted. The blade shifted into more of a snowy breeze and the wind killed the lightning charge and the ice crystals cut across the top of Samui's arms. The two kunoichi shared a relatively heated glare before starting to go through hand seals simultaneously.

* * *

_Naruto's Mindscape_

Naruto's _Sharingan_ glanced around in a momentary stupor finding not a combat field but crimson stoned masonry. Looking up Naruto saw the same crimson, faint light diluted in the air and Naruto knew just where he was, his Mindscape. Of course his resident demon had something that he needed to tell him. Naruto started to make his way down the dimly lit corridors with a small sigh. "I guess I will see what the Kyuubi needs of me…"

It didn't take long for Naruto to come to the familiar cage that the Kyuubi resided in. Naruto stood there silently as the large slitted orbs came to life. The raven haired shinobi stood there motionless waiting for the large fox to reveal himself. A large chuckle blew the sewer water up getting a light soak on his cloak earning a scowl. Naruto was just glad that the water didn't have any kind of stench to it. Naruto asked slightly miffed he was about to miss a promising fight unlike those prior. "Tell me Kyuubi why did you call for me?"

The Kyuubi who could sense Naruto's irritation just laughed a little louder and longer than he would have under normal circumstances. The Kyuubi's three tails swayed around in what Naruto would guess to be amusement. A terrifying streak of white signaled the Kyuubi's malicious grin. **"Oh please I have been watching those pesky flies fight and there was nothing entertaining about this little spectacle. Anyways I have some information that may or may not interest you, Ningen."**

Naruto's eyebrow rose since this was a new interaction with the Kyuubi after months of on and off again conversation. Never had the Kyuubi been forthcoming with information, no Naruto would have to go and ask if the Kyuubi had anything that could be helpful. Noting that he might have to return this for a favor Naruto decided to take this 'gift' he was being given. "Okay then what is it?" Naruto asked easily forgetting his irritation.

"**One of my brothers so to speak has been reincarnated into this world. And from the sense of it I would say it was the Three Tails." **The Kyuubi said with one eye open regarding Naruto to see what his pseudo-container's reaction would be. As the Kyuubi expected Naruto's only visible reaction was a gentle nodding of his head.

Naruto nodded taking the information because it was clearly valuable but the problem was where the Sanbi would show up. "Do you have an idea as to where the Sanbi could be?" Naruto asked curiously since the Kyuubi was like a vast wealth of knowledge and it couldn't hurt to try and dip his hand into it.

The Kyuubi grunted slightly closing his other eye letting his tails fall down to the ground almost giving off the vibe that he had suddenly fell asleep. Naruto waited patiently as the Kyuubi started to think about his question. **"Well when a Tailed Beast shows back up it is like a brief beacon flash to the other Biju before we fall into hibernation so we regain our power. When we Tailed Beasts are reincarnated we often show up in the place where we are most in tune with in accordance of Nature. So I believe that Turtle will be somewhere watery."**

Naruto closed his eyes and thought about that comment. It was very clear to the shinobi that the Three Tails would come back to the world within the Land of Water but sadly Naruto didn't have any kind of influence within that land. Naruto shrugged softly since maybe in time he would but not now. He did believe that the Biju sensing power was indeed convenient but why complain about that. "So what can I do for you then?" Naruto asked opening both of his red eyes getting the Kyuubi to look directly at Naruto.

"**Well you can change the Mindscape from this damnable sewer to something more hospitable because as shocking as it may be I don't always wish to watch your life unfold!" **The Kyuubi snorted forcing himself to put a little venom behind his words getting a light chuckle from Naruto. Nodding his head Naruto stepped back and sat in a meditative position to focus his mental energy.

The Kyuubi watched on as the bars slowly slammed back into the ground and the water drained away. Slowly green grass grew across the now field followed up by a vast forest growing in the background. The flat ground the two were standing upon started to elevate up into the sky creating a large hill where the Kyuubi was now basking on. Naruto focused in creating a few minor details within the forest for the Kyuubi to enjoy later. "There I hope you enjoy your temporary home."

The Kyuubi grunted and whipped his tail through Naruto's midsection but it phased through like Naruto was intangible something that happened often. In the mindscape the Kyuubi couldn't harm Naruto unless Naruto openly accepted the confrontation. **"Just get out of here. We have been here too long and now you are needed outside!"**

And with that Naruto was forcibly ejected from the mindscape much to Naruto's amusement fully knowing that the Kyuubi just didn't want to show positive emotions.

* * *

_Combatant Booth_

"Naruto-kun!" Naruto's eyes snapped open hearing that feminine shout coming back to reality. Naruto looked to see everyone in the booth looking at him but it was Suisei that got to him through the _Soul Link_. "Naruto-kun it is your turn to fight." Suisei repeated wondering what had happened to her partner but that could be explained at a later time. Naruto looked down at the field to see Fu's teammate with the blue scar leering up at him and Naruto's eyes narrowed.

Naruto leaped down over the railing with Suisei perched on his shoulder something that didn't bother Naruto one bit. Naruto ignored the glare the boy with scarf around his deformed jaw in favor of a silent stoicism. Suisei giggled through the link seeing just how angry that their opponent was getting thanks to Naruto's cool persona. The proctor asked if Shiku was ready earning an immediate nod and when the same question came to Naruto he just stared at the Taki Nin. The proctor took the silence as a yes and started the match and leapt away wanting to stay away from the Uchiha.

"Finally I can pay you back for what you did to me back in that stupid tower. You thought you were so great but all you did was catch me by surprise. That's why this time will be so different. This time you will be begging at my feet in front of the entire world." Shiku's arrogance wasn't muffled by the scarf that muffled his voice Naruto shook his head as Shiku started to channel his chakra into his seals but Naruto didn't move a muscle. Just before Shiku could finish the series of signs Naruto looked over at Shiku with the cool, blue eyes he had seen before.

"You are a fool. You think that I was lucky because I inspired fear in you? No it was not luck that was the difference in our skills. You pose no threat even with any skills you may have acquired." Naruto spoke calmly but the words cut into Shiku getting the boy to even halt his jutsu just before it was complete. 'Get ready Kyuubi we are going with that…' Naruto said mentally after using one of Itachi's favorite tactics to stall Shiku. Itachi had always used a fake arrogance to get into his enemy's head but somewhere deep inside Naruto actually believed what he had said.

Shiku growled at Naruto who ignored in favor of creating twenty _Kage Bunshin_ without even using a hand sign. The shinobi in the crowd were all amazed that Naruto could split his chakra evenly twenty times without looking fatigued. The Shadow Clones surrounded Shiku in a tight circle and Shiku tensed believing he was about to be attacked. The clones all dispelled at the same time creating a massive wave of smoke to spread around the field. Naruto raced into the crowd with his cursed eyes active so he could see through the smokescreen. The crowd all waited to see just what was going to come from the smoke.

Eventually the smoke cleared and an unharmed Shiku was standing the middle of a complex array of symbols and kanji. Those in the crowd familiar with the Art of Sealing could see the words _'Connect'_, _'Mind'_, and _'Imprison'_ but yet some of the things were still unreadable even to Minato, Jiraiya and to a lesser extent Kushina. Naruto jumped back a few feet from the sealing array and held a single hand seal channeling his chakra. **"Whirlpool Shadow Style: Gen-Fuin Hybrid: Palace of Nightmares." **The world around Shiku changed from the stadium to a replica of Konoha during the nighttime.

Shiku looked around suddenly there was a large explosion and multiple buildings caught fire creating a large inferno. Shiku looked around in a panic as people started to run around in a crazed frenzy confusing Shiku. That was when a massive shadow overtook the space he was standing in, looking up Shiku gulped. When he looked up he was greeted by the massive stature of the Kyuubi grinning down manically at him. Shiku stumbled back a few feet before turning on his feet and sprinted off with the mass amount of Konoha citizens. The Kyuubi chuckled darkly and started to walk through the village creating a massive amount of destruction.

Shiku looked up hoping to find anything to save him but all he saw was a dark sky but this sky wasn't dark due to the night no it was darkened by the ash and smoke of a burning Konoha. He could feel his body physically expressing his fear through the cold sweat on his body and the hammering of his heart inside of his chest. Looking back only created a faster beating as he looked right into the red eyes of the Kyuubi as it got closer and closer despite his terrified shouts for the monster of destruction to stop.

Shiku allowed a smile to cross his face when he caught sight of the massive gates of Konoha, his escape just a few feet away. Just when he was about to escape the nightmarish hell his body was suddenly forced back by an invisible force knocking the teen down onto his rear. Shiku felt his throat go dry as he heard the monstrous chuckle from behind him made his heart stop just a beat. Standing up Shiku stumbled backwards the invisible wall keeping him upright as the Kyuubi grinned evilly at the boy who hated demons and just how much he would enjoy this.

The Kyuubi brought his paw forth and let it loom overhead absolutely terrifying the boy beneath him. Then at an inhumane speed a single claw shot forward at impaled the boy through the stomach. Slowly the Kyuubi raised his claw cutting Shiku in half creating a massive puddle of blood and organs. As the world faded the Kyuubi's evil chuckle was the last sound in the nightmare world.

* * *

_Combat Field_

Naruto and the rest of the crowd watched as Shiku stood there in the middle of his glowing seal. Soon the crowd watched as a cold sweat became visible on his exposed skin that continued to get more intense. Then to the shock of all those watching besides Naruto, Shiku fell over spitting blood all over the seal on the ground. The crowd all went deathly silent as the proctor hurried over to the Taki teen. The expression on his face became grave when the teen's chest stopped rising. Standing up the proctor faced the crowd with the same expression on his face.

"Winner by death, Naruto Namikaze-Uzumaki-Uchiha…"

* * *

Information:

**Palace of Nightmares:** The user uses a various amount of complex seals and kanji to trap anyone inside of the seal within a prison of their choice. The damage down to the person in the jutsu becomes transferred to their body and affects them internally. The only way to break the jutsu was to destroy the array with an infusion of foreign chakra and overpowering the source chakra.

* * *

**Review Response (Not much this time since I have answered these before):**

**Naruto's Mangekyō Sharingan Abilities: **_Still not set in stone aside from the Tsukuyomi, Susanoo, and Amaterasu.__I am leaning towards an ability I have in mind that can spring another idea I have but that time will come._

**Naruto's Love Life: **_Indeed you could call this a harem but it will be different than most stories because he won't constantly be swarmed by women. No they each will have their own time and sometimes be around Naruto but not all at once._

**The Second Summon: **_I probably won't choose the Phoenix or Dragon because let's face it those are really cliché. Just like the Sharingan this too is not completely determined, though the person who mentioned Baku gave a strong contender._

* * *

**AN: Well here is my other story a little later than the last update that only took five days but I can't go spoiling you. No that won't do… not at all. Well here it is read it then review it. Have a nice day! Ja Ne -Matt**


	10. The Quarterfinals

**Disclaimer: **Did you know each time I say I don't own Naruto that I save a puppy from being shipped away? Yup, you're welcome.

**Don't forget the Review Response section!**

Naruto Uchiha: The Prophet with the Cursed Eyes

* * *

"Winner by death, Naruto Namikaze-Uzumaki-Uchiha…"

And there was an absolute silence inside of the Chunin Exam Stadium as everyone looked down at Naruto who was staring blankly at the corpse in front of him. Naruto waited for the seal to fade before he made his way to the booth for the remaining fighters with Suisei still perched happily on his shoulder. The civilians in the crowd who were filled with bigotry all sneered at the demon's display while the neutral and pro Naruto civilians just looked squeamish. The Genin in the stadium looked down at the dead Genin from Taki mostly with a deep frown as the reality of the ninja world hit them full force. The more seasoned shinobi however were very curious as to what Naruto had just pulled off especially Kushina who heard the name of the technique.

As Naruto climbed the steps of the dark stairwell he shook his head but it wasn't clear whether it was in amusement or annoyance. 'Kyuubi I believe you just caused me more problems with that _fun_ of yours.' Naruto spoke mentally but there was no disdain or annoyance in his voice something the Kyuubi noticed. Naruto did know that a certain orange eyed girl did enjoy what the foolish Taki shinobi just went though.

"**Oh but you told me that, that realm was where I had free reign and I decided to be the executioner. Anyways that fleshy bag was nothing more than trash and demon hater. Oh yes I definitely enjoyed showing him a true demon!" **Naruto ignored the deep almost a maniacal chuckle from his resident demon as he made his way back into the booth. Ignoring all the attention on him Naruto made his way back to the rail. As Yugito passed she gave Naruto a frown probably not happy that he killed the boy. The reaction Naruto got from the Suna Jinchuuriki was polar opposite there was an approving gleam in those pale eyes of his.

Naruto blinked his cool blue eyes when he felt someone standing next to him but didn't say anything since he was not the one who wanted to talk. "What was that Naruto-san… if you don't mind me asking?" The voice he recognized as the Yuna girl from Iwa added on sheepishly when she realized it came out as a demand. Naruto looked at the diver helmet wearing kunoichi with his eyebrow arched behind his hanging bang. It was a technique that belonged to the Uzumaki but then again he doubted anyone in the exam could even replicate half of what was required to do the technique.

"That move uses the seal to trap an enemy within a different universe using mental energies. Whatever happens in this reality happens to the body in our reality. That kid died in there so he died out here." Naruto's voice was curt and it brought shivers down the spines of each Genin left in the booth just wondering what Naruto had concocted for the now deceased Taki shinobi. Naruto smirked when he could see the affect his words had on his remaining competition, mental warfare was just as important as physical. Naruto idly rubbed the back of Suisei's neck with his finger as the proctor started the match between his fellow Jinchuuriki.

* * *

_Combat Field_

Gaara stood there with a small grin as his arms slowly unfurled from in front of his chest as he looked across at the blonde kunoichi from _Kumogakure_. His _Mother_ had told him that this girl was just like he was. The auburn haired Jinchuuriki then knew that he had to measure his existence against this girl. Then when he proved that his existence was stronger than her blood would join the collection that saturated his sand. Then an only then could Gaara say that he was alive and that no one could ever eliminate his existence. His existence would be validated by the blood of his foe.

Weary would be a gross injustice on describing how Yugito was feeling at being around the mentally unstable Genin from the Hidden Sand. The Nibi had told her that the One Tail was always a little unstable and was more than likely affecting the young shinobi. The bloodlust Gaara was emanating was physically unnerving and the feeling only intensified when she got closer to the epicenter, Gaara. Yugito could vividly remember how Gaara tried to kill… no exterminate each of his opponents thus far. Yugito didn't want to have to be put in the situation where she was the mercy of the bloodthirsty Jinchuuriki. Channeling the energy needed to her leg Yugito struck first. **"Fire Release: Extreme Heat Whip!"**

Gaara's bland eyes watched impassively as the stream of fire lashed towards him with murderous intent. Gaara didn't bat an eye as his sand flew from his gourd and shielded the young man from the heat and burns that the attack would result in. The chakra infused in the sand kept the fire from turning the sand into glass but Gaara in his battle manic mode didn't care in the least. Once the sand cleared from the shield Gaara commanded it to rush forth to quell his craving for the red life liquid of his enemy which the sand did faithfully.

Yugito much like the cat from Hell sealed inside of her hissed at her opponent's sand based attack. Sliding back as the sand crashed down after her, Yugito replaced herself leaving the sand to crush the log that took Yugito's place. Speeding forward Yugito tried to send a side kick towards Gaara's head but a wall of sand interfered. Cart wheeling back Yugito saved her shin from being turned to nothing as the sand attempted to grab her leg. Yugito frowned seeing just how formidable her opponent's defenses were. It was one thing to see it when he fought Lee but it was another thing entirely to experience the sheer stopping power fist hand.

The ground behind Gaara which was now firmly grinded into a fine powdery sand was being manipulated by the youngest of the Sand Waterfall siblings for his next attack. Yugito watched as the sand was elevated into the sky above as the original sand went back to defend its owner. The cloud of sand formed over head and small lumps started to form and project in the cloud. **"Sand Drizzle." **Then those lumps started to fall like small drops of rain drizzling on top of the blonde Jinchuuriki. These small drops though were much quicker and proved deadly when they cut into the ground.

Growling Yugito began the signs for her next jutsu and counter move to the sand styled rain cloud. **"Fire Release: Hellcat's Stream!" **A small, blue stream of fire shot out of Yugito's mouth swallowing up the drizzling sand and continuing on towards the cloud lingering above. Yugito's blue eyes watched on as a few glass orbs drop from her fire stream shattering upon contact with the ground. The fire quickly swirled around the cloud creating a blanket of glass that shined in the intense sunlight. Yugito leaped back to keep from being punctured by the falling, jagged glass while Gaara's sand just caught it and threw it at the wall which was where the proctor happened to be making Genma leap away.

The sand from Gaara's personal stock formed into small shuriken in front of him getting Yugito to tense in preparation for the upcoming barrage. The shuriken cut through the air with an alarming speed catching Yugito of guard which resulted in the cut she was now sporting on her cheek. Now aware of the velocity of the projectiles Yugito made use of her flexibility to deftly weave through the deadly sand based weaponry. Yugito growled slightly because Gaara had only taken maybe a step this entire fight while she had to be on the move almost constantly. 'That is indeed a fearsome defense. He doesn't even need to command it to defend like he needs to do for offense.'

Yugito's slitted eyes narrowed at Gaara trying to find some way to break through that absolute defense she had heard about. The blonde knew Taijutsu wouldn't be possible since the sand would just crush any appendage that it would catch. Genjutsu while a viable option to defeat Gaara and his tunnel vision was out of reach because of her status as a Jinchuuriki. She didn't know Fuinjutsu like Naruto so that left her with Ninjutsu. **"Fire Release: Spindle Flames!" **A small jet of fire came from Yugito's mouth spinning until it hit its point where it speared out right towards the sand defense.

Gaara didn't even show any worry as a wall of sand went up in front of him stopping the flames a few feet short of hitting him. Gaara's eyes widened momentarily when he saw the sand glow but the Suna Nin quickly acted reinforcing the sand before it could be destroyed. The sand filtered away so Yugito could see the grin Gaara was wearing getting her to raise an eyebrow out of curiosity. **"Kitten get down!" **Not questioning her companion Yugito dropped to all fours like a cat and not a moment later the shuriken she dodged earlier came flying over her. The sand shuriken kept on going until it reached the auburn haired boy's sand where it harmlessly formed back into the mother source.

Yugito got back onto her feet and wiped the small amount of sweat that adorned her brow while Gaara just looked on with a slight frown.

* * *

_In The Stands_

"Man they haven't even spoken all that much and this is so damn intense!" Kiba shouted wiping his brow with his sleeve getting a nod from his teammates and a yelp of agreement from his ninja hound partner. Kiba may be gung ho when it came to proving himself but in this case he was glad that he wasn't fighting.

"Kiba what did I say about your language." Kurenai scolded her loud mouthed student getting him to shrink under her disapproving glare and gulp nervously. Having lived with a rough mother and elder sister Kiba learned a healthy fear of women.

"Man am I glad I gave up fighting after that Chojuro match. It would be too troublesome." Shikamaru drawled out with a sigh as he watched on as the clouds just drifted on by ignoring the glare from his blonde teammate but decided not to say anything referring to a certain troublesome blonde.

"Shika why can't you be more like-" Ino's insult and comparison was cut off by an annoyed Shikamaru who took his eyes from the clouds to snap towards the Yamanaka next to him.

"Like your Sasuke? He got beat in the first round and easily." Shikamaru asked with a slight distaste in his mouth and the mention of the village's most arrogant Genin getting a small chuckle from Choji who pulled out another bag of chips to much on while he watched the competition proceed.

Ino frowned at her lazy friend but couldn't dispute that Sasuke did get beat pretty severely in everything he was thought to be good at. That brought up another question in her mind and that was just who was Naruto really. Because it was clear that no one in the stadium knew just what Naruto was capable of.

* * *

_Combatant Booth_

Naruto watched his fellow Jinchuuriki with his analytic blue eyes as they traded jutsu with no one coming on top. While Yugito had the speed and flexibility to avoid Gaara's jutsu Gaara had the pure stopping power to keep Yugito from gaining an advantage. But he knew Gaara was expelling less energy than Yugito was because he had moved less and his sand seemed to act on its own, possibly sentient. Yet the scorned shinobi knew that neither would run out of energy soon seeing as they were both Jinchuuriki.

"They look pretty even." Narumi said aloud watching the two shinobi going back and forth with their jutsu. The only real damage were the few superficial cuts from Gaara's sand shuriken but those had since closed up. Naomi seemed to agree with her if the nodding she was doing was anything to indicate her opinion.

"No it seems Yugito-san is at the disadvantage here." Haku's soft voice got the attention of the shinobi in the booth sans Naruto. "While it may seem like they are even Yugito has been forced to use a lot more energy while Gaara hasn't even been forced to take a step back." A look of realization crossed the faces of most of the Genin as they thought back on the fight so far.

"Well this should be interesting then!" Yuna added with a small amount of excitement in her calm voice.

* * *

_Combat Field_

Yugito shot forward with her claws extended so that she wouldn't have to risk being sucked in by Gaara's sand. Swaying to the left and shuffling her feet Yugito avoided a burst of sand Gaara sent after her. Only a few feet from reaching her opponent Yugito lunged forward but Gaara's sand countered and swallowed her wrist before she could try and carve through the grains of sand. 'Nibi I need your chakra around my arm before he shatters it!' Yugito called out mentally getting the immediate response of a red cloak of Yokai. Using the small boost in strength granted by the malevolent energy Yugito wrenched her hand free and skit backwards. Gaara's brow furrowed as yet again the nuisance across from him refused to forfeit her existence.

Gaara called on all of his personal reserve of sand and mixed it with the ground below him multiplying the amount of sand he had at his command. Gaara moved his hands forward and the wave of sand slowly crawled forward. **"Infinite Sand Tsunami." **The crowd was in awe at the magnitude of the young Jinchuuriki's jutsu as it threatened to crash down on Yugito. Yugito turned around and ran as fast as she could muster towards the far wall of the stadium. Getting close enough Yugito leaped high onto the wall and stuck to the surface with chakra on the soles of her feet. The dull roar of the sand crashing on the ground drown out any of the small sounds coming from cheering or clapping crowd members.

Yugito watched from the safety of the wall as the sand washed up and slammed into the wall beneath her sending a strong vibration through her body. Slowly the sandy powder sank back into the sold part of the ground letting Yugito know that it was always lingering just below. Yugito flexed her hands and reinforced her claws with some chakra making sure they were strong enough for her next move because if they weren't then she would be left in a compromising situation. Channeling some extra chakra to her legs Yugito kicked off of the wall and towards Gaara with her claws together in front of her head. **"Spiraling Claw…"**

Yugito's whole body began to spin clockwise, with each spin the speed behind her body increased as did the speed of the spin. The claws linked up with each other to form one white torpedo like tip that was aimed and bearing down on Gaara. The sand shield was quick enough to bring itself to Gaara's defense but the power and velocity behind the spin tore through the shield. Yugito grinned when she felt her claws digging into Gaara but her celebratory grin was cut off when she heard a dark chuckle from Gaara. Yugito looked up and her eyes went from confident to alarm when she saw she only managed to break into Gaara's _Sand Armor_.

The sand Yugito broke through swarmed violently on each side of the _Kumogakure _kunoichi and suddenly slammed into each side of her. Thankfully for Yugito she managed to avoid the painful experience by flipping back and out of the close range of Gaara and his sand. Panting slightly Yugito got back to her feet watching as the sand near Gaara's heart fell away long since doing its job of absorbing the impact of her last attack. As infuriating as it was Yugito could admit silently that maybe there was something to calling Gaara's techniques the _Absolute Defense_. However, the kunoichi knew now was not the time to admire an enemy she was currently in combat with.

Gaara was reading his next move when he heard the voice that chilled his blood every time it spoke. **"Gaara what is taking so long to kill her?!" **An angry voice bellowed out inside of the auburn haired Suna Nin's head making his eyes get a few more degree cooler.

'I'm going to kill her Mother just please be patient. It won't take much longer.' Gaara's usual dark voice sounded nothing more like a child seeking acceptance. Gaara was able to stop from cringing when he heard a deep scoff from the recesses of his mind. Gaara waited what seemed to be a millennia before he got a response from his _Mother_.

"**Gaara you don't want to make me angry, your Mother but that's okay because you can use my power to kill this nuisance… just like always." **The voice sent a very disturbing coo to its container but Gaara's mind was too distorted to be unnerved by this instead he grinned because it was finally time to prove just why he existed.

The sand that swirled around Gaara suddenly came to a halt and hardened around Gaara forming a cocoon around the boy. Just as the dome was about to close the last thing Yugito could see was Gaara's sickening grin. Then inside of the sphere of sand Gaara's chakra started to get more potent and more demonic getting some alarm bells to go off inside of the Two Tails' head. **"Kitten you need to give up and do it now before he can transform!" **Yugito's blue eyes widened in shock hearing that Gaara planned on transforming.

'But even if I can't handle two tails of Yokai I can still manage one just like he can shouldn't that be enough?' Yugito asked because she trained with her sensei Bee just so she could call upon the Nibi as a hidden ace and this would seem like the perfect time to call on that little extra. Yugito frowned when she felt the Nibi shake her head negatively but she would wait for an explanation.

"**Kitten if you maximized the amount of the second tail of Yokai you would transform into my body. That is what that boy is doing now… and a full blown Shukaku is much stronger than your One Tail state. This is a losing fight." **The Two Tails informed her container regretfully since she knew just how much she wanted to prove herself but she wouldn't let Yugito get killed because of a need for validation.

Yugito nodded her head and looked over to Genma and raised her hand to get his attention which she did. "I give up. You might want to stop him Proctor-san." Yugito warned the Leaf Jounin before she used a _Shunshin_ to get to the stands where the rest of her team was staying.

"Gaara that is enough the match is over!" A deep booming voice came down from the higher echelon of the Chunin Exam Stadium getting the sand to freeze any movement. Gaara's sand slowly retreated into his gourd and Gaara glared up at his father before disappearing in a _Sand Shunshin_.

* * *

_Combatant Booth_

The _Sand Shunshin_ that filled the booth signaled the arrival of the victorious combatant from _Kaze no Kuni_. The remaining Genin wasted no time in giving Gaara a wide berth out of fear or caution. Gaara looked over to see was the only one to not move was Naruto who didn't even seemed bothered by his presence. It was different from anything Gaara had ever experienced and it confused him. Ignoring his emotions Gaara walked over and stood between Naruto and the wall without so much as a word. Narumi was glancing towards her brother slightly worried by how close he was to the dangerous entity form _Sunagakure_.

The blonde daughter of the Hokage shook off her concern in favor for silently cheering for sister as she made her way down to fight the kunoichi from _Iwagakure_. The girl had proven herself to be proficient with water style Ninjutsu as well as in the field of Genjutsu. The girl was a serious kunoichi and would prove to be a strong challenge for her sister. Though she was also trying to come up with a way to combat Haku who proved she was very capable as well. Narumi sighed because the path to Chunin was clearly not an easy one.

Chojuro was also thinking about his next fight against Naruto, one would think that having dueled with each other once already would help but there was the game changer… the _Sharingan_. The duel in _Nami no Kuni _was just that a duel between swordsmen but this next fight would be between ninja swordsmen and he knew it. He would give it his best shot of course but the blue haired teen had to wonder if it would be enough against the renowned power of the Uchiha Clan. Chojuro subconsciously went to reach for the hilt of his _Hiramekarei_ but caught himself at the last moment and got ready to watch the next match.

Naruto was silently creating an inventory of the dwindling number of opponents that were left in the tournament. There was the indomitable Jinchuuriki from Suna, his sisters, the mystery girl from Iwa, a Ninja Swordsmen from the Hidden Mist, and an Ice Release User. Each opponent had their strengths just like they had their weaknesses. While Naruto didn't care who won this next match he did hope to learn more about Yuna's capabilities and who better than his more tenacious sister to do that. Naruto closed his eyes for a moment before opening them again revealing his _Sharingan _alive and spinning. Naruto didn't believe in copying Ninjutsu just like Itachi but it did help in dissecting and understanding the jutsu thus helping to find the weakness.

* * *

_Combat Field_

Naomi looked to Yuna with a beaming smile as she bounced on the heels of her feet and the two Nin around her could feel the excitement rolling off of her. Yuna too was hoping for another fight with a serious kunoichi just like her last fight with Fu. "I hope we can have a good fight Yuna-san! Because then when I win it will be all the more impressive!" Naomi said with a cheeky grin getting a small chuckle from the Iwa kunoichi. It was the same thing Yuna was thinking so she couldn't find it in her to call out the confidence behind that statement.

"I was thinking the same but of course I don't plan on losing here either. I want to keep going and win the whole thing!" Yuna said with her own bravado coming through getting an understanding nod from her excitable opponent. It was then that both fighters knew that they would be in for an excellent fight because neither would be giving in easily. It didn't have to be a fight to the death like the one only two matches ago but it was going to be a tough one that would make both kunoichi stronger in the end. It was their kind of fight…

Having enough with the prefight banter Naomi went through a series of signs at a moderate speed ending on the _Ram_ sign with a small smirk. **"Wind Release: Godly Wind from the Mountain!" **A vortex of wind blasted forth from Naomi's hands straight towards Yuna who was too close to the Namikaze-Uzumaki to avoid it. Biting down on her tongue Yuna brought her forearms up to take most of the damage from the sudden wind attack. Naomi lowered herself into her defensive Taijutsu stance fully anticipating a counter strike from Yuna, Yuna getting into a readied stance of her own glared at Naomi for getting the first strike in.

Taking a handful of shuriken Yuna flicked her wrist in an effortless motion sending a wave of black spinning stars. Naomi scoffed and waved her palm sending the trajectory of each shuriken off track just enough to make them miss comfortably. Naomi blocked a fist from Yuna with her forearms and ducked the follow up kick aimed at her head. Using her lowered stance Naomi drove the point of her elbow into Yuna's gut but the attack was easily batted away by Yuna. With her balance slightly disturbed Naomi didn't have the chance of blocking a knee strike to her ribcage making her groan slightly.

Naomi replied with a quick hook towards Yuna's throat but Yuna was quicker and slid away from her opponent creating space between the two. Yuna gave a small smirk of her own as she began to go through her signs. **"Poison Release: Cloud of Toxins!" **Yuna's mouth spewed a ghastly cloud of purple smoke that the air currents carried towards a startled Naomi who hadn't seen a technique like that before. Naomi leaped back but the cloud of poison continued to steadily make progress towards her. Naomi really did not wish to test the limits of her lungs by holding her breath so she needed to clear the air.

The Konoha Princess' hands ending with the snake seal took a firm stance as a strong squall blew over Naomi's shoulders at hit the cloud of poison head on. The upward current of wind knocked the cloud poison into the sky overhead where the chakra infused wind scattered the poison harmlessly into the atmosphere where it became too diluted to be effective. Naomi took a moment to sigh in relief since that stuff look pretty nasty to her. Despite having the _Yin_ half of the Kyuubi's chakra there was no intelligent conscious to use the chakra and filter out the poison if she ingested any of it.

"You did good to keep the poison away from your lungs but how will you stop this technique I wonder? **Poison Release: Venomous Serpent!" **Instead of the cloud of purple smoke this time a purple liquid formed the body of what ended up being a menacing snake. Naomi took a step back at the sight of the poisonous snake opening its mouth literally baring its fangs. Coiling around Yuna the snake hissed then lunged at a Naomi who brought her hand up into the clone seal creating a _Kage Bunshin_ that saved Naomi by throwing her off to the side and out of the range of the snake's jaw.

'What do I need to do to kill that thing? It probably can form back if its body is made of a liquid and that is a problem. I guess I can try this…' Creating three more Shadow Clones Naomi had them put their hands near the side of its body while it tried to reform its head. The three clones started to redo the first step of Wind Manipulation but using the snake's body instead of a leaf. It took a few moments even with three clones but eventually a clean cut appeared down the center of the poison snake leaving the two halves to splash down on the ground. The three clones then dispelled with pleased grins on their faces.

Yuna raised one of her eyebrows when she saw her snake just get split down the center ignoring her confusion Yuna held her last sign and channeled some chakra and the snake started to reform. Naomi appeared behind Yuna and kicked the Iwa kunoichi straight in the back sending her crashing forth releasing her hold on the jutsu. Naomi grinned at Yuna when she got up and sent a glare her way. Yuna rubbed the swell of her back before dropping back into a more alert posture. Yuna was glad that Naomi had not disappointed her by not providing a challenge because this was what she came here for.

"Oh I was totally right about you being a good fight! After my first fight I wasn't sure what to expect after fighting that Oto girl but you and Fu have really made this trip worth it!" Yuna said happily as she rolled her left shoulder with a large grin. Yuna taking a few moments to take a breather which Naomi did as well looked back at her opponent.

"The feeling is mutual! I haven't had this good of a fight since I had an intense spar with my sister after our first A-Rank mission!" Naomi admitted cracking her knuckled with an excited grin plastered on her face. Her violet eyes were alive with happiness and an intense determination. She wouldn't lose because this was just too much of a fun battle for it to end with a loss.

* * *

_Combatant Booth_

Naruto watched on keenly as Yuna created her poison jutsu noting how she changed the state from gas to liquid seamlessly. It was different from the few people he had encountered with Poison Release who just stuck to using it as a cloud of smoke but then again they didn't call it the Poison Release. If anything Naruto was glad that Naomi forced more information out of Yuna because it was slowly making the picture all the more clear.

Narumi tightened her grip on the railing as she watched her sister avoid the hazardous snake of poison by using her _Kage Bunshin_. Her lips twitched up into a smile when she used her training in splitting a leaf to cut the serpent in half giving her time to strike at Yuna. Her worry was washed away when her sister's eager attitude came back full force even in the middle of her fight despite the danger.

Haku glanced down to see how the snake was consisting of a liquid substance that made the ice wielder wonder if she could possibly freeze that liquid. Then there was Naomi who was using wind that could possibly cut through her ice mirrors now that she actually had some training in the element. Just like Samui's storm element was dangerous but was beatable because of Haku's advantage in wind over lightning.

Gaara looked down at the two fighting in the arena and was making plans on how to kill them should either of them end up fighting him. Their blood no matter whose it was would run across his sand because both he and his _Mother _were tired of being denied the blood they craved, the blood that would validate them.

Naruto shook his head when Suisei asked him who he thought would win since unlike others Naruto would refuse to jump to conclusions on a blind faith. He didn't have the proper information on either of the fighters so any judgment was reserved for a latter time in the future.

* * *

_Combat Field_

Naomi flowed her chakra to her right hand creating a small blue chakra flame but that was just the way the chakra showed it was present. An exact copy of Naomi came into existence and started to claw the space over the energy randomly compressing into a spiraling sphere of chakra. The citizens of _Konohagakure _cheered seeing one of their princesses using the fabled jutsu of their beloved Hokage not that Naomi or Minato really cared for their praise after their ugly display on day two. Naomi grinned and burst off her back foot accelerating quickly enough to close the distance between she and Yuna.

"**Rasengan!" **Naomi drove the spiraling ball of pure chakra into Yuna driving her into the ground with a powerful force. The ground exploded behind the powerful blast knocking dust and rocks into the air around Naomi hiding her from view. When the smoke cleared Naomi was on the ground with her palm inside of a crater created by the powerful technique. Naomi sighed and ran a hand through her vibrant, red locks looking around for Yuna. Getting back on to her feet Naomi turned around and was looking at a smirking Yuna who showed no signs of damage from the spiraling sphere of chakra.

"Phew that was a close one! You almost got me because I froze seeing the jutsu of your Father but then again I had time because it wasn't in a flash. Lucky me…" Yuna muttered sarcastically as she brushed off her shoulders ignoring the small glare from Naomi for brushing off her most damaging technique. Yuna seeing the glare she was on the receiving end of waved her hand shooing away the glare without much of a thought. "Don't be like that. I am only being honest seriously why everyone so tense in things like this is?" Yuna asked with a small sigh as Naomi didn't relent with her glare.

"I can tell you really want to shut me up so why don't you come and try it?" Yuna goaded Naomi with a cheeky grin getting a growl from her red headed opponent. Yuna didn't have to wait long as Naomi rushed forward with her fist cocked back ready to do harm to Yuna. Yuna easily leaned back avoiding the fist thrown at her neck but was blindsided by a kick to the ribs making her wince from the jarring impact. Yuna slammed her elbow against the shin of Naomi making her cry out in pain and retract her shin.

Naomi twirled around and threw three punches into the ribs on the other side of Yuna's body with a ferocious intensity. Hissing in pain at the first few punches Yuna turned to face Naomi and caught her fist smashing her helmet against Naomi's head taking advantage of her headwear. Naomi stumbled back a few steps and would have fell over if Yuna wasn't holding her up by the arm so that she could deliver a rising strike to her gut. Naomi lurched forward gasping as the air left her lung not wanting to be a punching back Naomi stomped on Yuna's foot making her leg buckle under the pain. Naomi took her opponent from _Iwagakure's _wrist and twisted it making her cry out in pain thus freeing her own arm.

Each kunoichi took a pause to nurse the sore areas on their bodies from their opponent's strikes during the hand to hand exchange. Naomi wondered what she could use to put down Yuna because aside from her _Playground of the Twister_ jutsu but that would take too long to set up and Yuna wouldn't give her the time she would need. The _Rasengan _was an option for a quick knockout but she would need to use a distraction or Yuna could easily avoid the wide motion of the chakra sphere. 'Well I need a distraction so I guess I will need to use some Shadow Clones…'

Yuna whose hands were resting on her sides also was going over how she could end this fight before she had to use more chakra. It was clear that Naomi had a counter to both her Poison and Water Release by utilizing the wind element's cutting properties. Sighing in disappointment Yuna brought her hands up to the tubes that had green liquid flowing through them lodged in the docking ports in her helmet. Twisting them free she pointed the ends towards Naomi who had stopped just before she had to make a quick dash to avoid whatever Yuna was planning. Flaring her chakra the Poison Release user sent the green liquid shooting from the tubes towards Naomi. **"Acid Release: Abrasive Imprisonment."**

The acidic liquid quickly formed into a circular dome like jail cell that surrounded Naomi keeping her in place glancing around hurriedly for a means to escape. The green liquid dropped onto the ground instantly killing any grass that it came in contact with. "You should be very careful in there Namikaze-san any drop from the acid will burn straight to the bones." Yuna's singsong voice caught the attention of her prisoner. True to her word a small drip landed on her ninja sandal and slowly began eating at the fabric. Acting quickly Naomi removed the shoe before the acid hit her skin.

Naomi thought about blasting the acidic structure with her wind but then realized that it would spread the acid and possibly hit her body which most certainly be fatal. Naomi saw the drops were getting larger and more frequent meaning she didn't have time to formulate a plan. Sighing softly Naomi raised her voice that she could be heard. "I forfeit." Yuna nodded her head approvingly and the acidic structure lost its chakra and it slowly lost its green hue till it was just water. Naomi let out a relieved breath and stepped over the puddle of water towards Yuna where they shook hands with a promise to fight once more of course under more friendly circumstances.

"Winner by forfeit, Yuna Neira!"

* * *

_Kage Booth_

"That was an excellent match if I must say so." Came the proud voice of the wise, elderly Earth Shadow who saw no reason to try and hide his nationalistic pride seeing how one of his own beat one of the _Yellow Flash's _daughters in Konoha. Closing his eyes the Tsuchikage nodded his head in agreement with his own statement.

"Tsuchikage-dono may I ask for you to explain what the Acid Release is? I mean you did have me explain young Kakugyo's abilities." Mei finished with a polite smile as she looked over towards her peer from the Land of Earth. The Tsuchikage grumbled cursing his own curiosity but found no harm in some gloating.

"Yuna's father came from the clan of Poison Release users here in _Hi no Kuni_. He settled within our village and married a Jounin woman who had a fairly power water affinity. The two genetics linked where the ratio of poison to water ended up creating the Acid Release." The Tsuchikage gave the bare minimum of the story not finding the need to tell them that Yuna was not in a clan. It wouldn't hurt to let his peers believe that there were more Acid Release users living in _Iwagakure_.

Minato released a small sigh clearly disappointed that his daughter had lost but was glad that she was unharmed. A victory or a loss meant nothing if the safety of his daughter came into question. "It looks like Naomi just ran into an unknown factor that she couldn't adapt to."

The Raikage grunted in agreement with his rival for the title of fastest shinobi as he looked on barely paying attention since he no longer had the proverbial horse in the race. The Raikage glanced over to the blonde Hokage with a small smirk. "Yes your daughters are quite skilled just like that son of yours. At least those two just don't kill helpless Genin eh?" The Raikage took a small shot at Minato hoping to rile him up.

Sadly for Ay the Kazekage added his opinion into the idle chatter before Minato could give his response to his words. "You call him a killer but I call him a shinobi." The Kazekage said with his perpetual scowl. The Wind Shadow was impressed that Naruto at his age was able to go to such extents. Leaving opponents alive often led to enemies and regrets in the future.

Minato chuckled at Ay's disgruntled expression clearly not appreciating the timing of the Kazekage's interjection.

* * *

_Combat Field_

"It seems we have to do combat once more Narumi-san." Haku's soft voice was friendly seeing as how the fighting had yet to start. Haku kept _Snowfall _on her hip because she knew that she was going to be in a long range fight where her blade would be of no use. Rushing in with the sword to force her style on Narumi would also lead to a quick defeat.

"That it does Haku-san. At least this time it isn't a fight to the death because of a scummy businessman though." Narumi added with a soft chuckle remembering just how money could change the dynamics of everything. Money could even put those in a position of power in a bind by someone who otherwise would hold no influence.

"I think it is time we start our match." Haku's friendly visage turned more frigid going into her hunter Nin persona getting Narumi to become more serious as well. Reaching into her pouch and arming herself with senbon needles Haku wasted no time in flinging them at Narumi. Already familiar with Haku's weapon of choice instead of trying to deflect the needles Narumi used a _Shunshin_ to appear on Haku's left side. Haku whirled around and watched as Narumi pushed forward with a kunai in each of her hands obviously ready to use them. Narumi raised each kunai ready to bury them in each of Haku's shoulders.

Haku stomped her foot on the ground kicking up the water puddle left over by Yuna into the air forming a shield cylinder around her. **"Water Release: Water Pulse." **Narumi cried out in surprise as her body was pushed back by the water sending her tumbling to the ground. Getting back to her feet no longer armed with her kunai Narumi looked up to see Haku looking at her coldly she growled. Narumi recalled her battle in _Nami no Kuni _with Haku and knew that if she got caught in the ice mirrors she would be in trouble. Shaking her head Narumi focused back in on the present.

"**Water Release: Water Javelin!" **Narumi made use of the water already provided using her chakra using the water to make a deadly javelin. With a flick of the wrist the javelin sped forward towards Haku and when it looked like it would hit her, the Ice Release user jumped back into an Ice Mirror that she created to make a quick escape. Narumi tensed seeing the reflection of the Kiri kunoichi in the mirror like she was the first time in Nami. Slowly the upper half of Haku's frame came out of the mirror as needles of water levitated in front of her.

"**Hyoton: Ice Needles of Death." **The needles of water quickly froze over creating deadly ice needles that Narumi knew all too well. The frozen needles flew towards Narumi who tried to roll out of their path but the speed behind the projectiles was too great leaving a few needles stuck in her arm. Hissing to herself Narumi pulled the needles out of her arm throwing them to the ground where they shattered into an icy dust that would be quite beautiful if they hadn't tried to kill her moments prior. Cracking her neck Narumi regarded the Ice Kunoichi with a heated glare not happy being a pin cushion.

Haku propelled out of the ice mirror towards Narumi throwing an open palm strike at the Konoha Nin's neck. Narumi managed to maneuver herself so that the blow only hit her shoulder providing a minor discomfort. Narumi manipulated her hair to wrap around Haku's waist pulling her into an uppercut delivered to Haku's delicate jaw. Haku's head snapped backwards then she was slammed into the earth below the two by Narumi's blonde hair. Just when Narumi thought Haku to be incapacitated the fake Hunter Nin launched the soles of her feet into Narumi's stomach sending kunoichi into the air. Haku jumped away creating space as Narumi landed back on her feet holding her stomach with a small glare. The two kunoichi continued their silent standoff.

Haku threw another handful of senbon towards Narumi with a frightening accuracy striking Narumi in spots that disabled her left arm. Another handful of senbon were lodged into the blonde's right leg dropping her to a knee. Haku put away the other senbon that she planned on using in case her aim was off. Walking up to Narumi Haku gave her a hopeful smile as she got closer. "I would recommend that you give up Narumi-san this way I won't have to hurt you any further." Haku advised hopefully not wanting to cause any lasting damage to the kunoichi in front of her.

"Oh you mean this? This is nothing really." Narumi said with a labored chuckle as if she hadn't had twenty or so senbon sticking out of her body. Haku frowned at what she perceived to be useless stubbornness. Each of the senbon needles struck chakra points and nerves to shut down the muscles in her arm and leg.

Not saying another word Narumi held a hand sign and closed her eyes to enhance her concentration. Soon a faint red glow wavered off of the Hokage's daughter as tapped into the _Yang _chakra of the Kyuubi healing all of her minor nerve pinches and chakra points. Haku who still was unaware of what Narumi was doing was left vulnerable to the sudden uppercut and jarring kick that sent her tumbling away with a cry of pain. Haku looked into the sky her face scrunching up in pain as she gently rubbed the bruise she felt on her delicate jaw.

Narumi stood there with a victorious smirk on her face as she waited for Haku to get back on to her feet. Haku looked over at Narumi with her brows furrowed and a confused expression on her face. Narumi ignored this in favor of smirking at the girl and running her hand through her hair enjoying the confusion on Haku's face. "Now what was that about this being over?"

* * *

_In The Stands_

"Go Narumi-chan!" Kushina and Naomi both shouted in the same exuberant voice as they stood on their feet cheering for their family member to come out victorious in her fight. It was clear to the other Konoha Genin just who Naomi took after out of her parents. Kakashi just eye smiled used to excitable Namikaze-Uzumakis.

Gai and Lee were both looking at the two shouting women with fiery expressions both spandex wearing shinobi clenching their fists. TenTen and Neji both inched away already knowing what was coming from their teammate and Sensei. "Yosh they are both so youthful Gai-sensei!" Lee cried out passionately getting an equally positive response from the youthful Jounin.

"Narumi has gotten a lot stronger since the mission to Wave. Before not even the three of them could really harm Haku-san but now she can hold her off all on her own." Sakura commented seeing just how much her teammate had grown over the past few months. It also fueled her desire to train more with Shizune and Tsunade once her arm was healed up efficiently.

Jiraiya who was still lingering around the top ring of the stadium was glancing down towards his Goddaughter with pride gleaming in his eyes but was still watching each and every mistake she was making so that they could begin to correct what could be exploited. But let it be said that the white haired man still _really _wanted to perform his research.

* * *

_Combat Field_

Narumi and Haku both were slouching slightly as they tried to catch their breath after another intense exchange between the two. Narumi was thinking just what she needed to do to catch the speedy kunoichi while Haku was wondering what she had that was strong enough to put down Narumi. Both decided they needed more time and lunged forward throwing a fist but one's strike was blocked by the other's fist creating a slight cracking noise. Both girls winced and leapt backwards trying to shake the feeling back into their fists. Taking a deep breath both girls knew that any more Taijutsu would be a pointless endeavor.

Narumi started to gather her chakra to call on her next move which she hoped would catch Haku disabling her. Going through the seals needed to form the jutsu she would use for her next move. **"Water Release: Water Dragon!" **The dragon released a watery roar that sounded like a deep gargle before speeding forward to trap Haku within its maw. Narumi eased herself onto one knee watching as her watery creation was brought forward with a driving force. Haku gasped and used a _Shunshin_ at the last possible moment making the dragon splash into the ground losing its head.

Haku came back into Narumi's vision on the other end of the stadium with her eyes half glaring at the dragon as it formed back and went back to swaying behind Narumi's back. Haku ignored the intimidating sight as she went through her own hand signs at a furious pace in an attempt to protect herself. **"Hyoton: Tundra Dragon!" **Much like Narumi's water dragon a light blue dragon made of ice started to be crafted behind Haku's back. The dragon howled forcing an icy breath up into the sky making the spectators on the rail shiver from the temperature drop.

The _Ice Princess _locked eyes with one of _Konoha's Guardian Princesses_ both showing a tremendous amount of determination in their respective eyes. The water dragon released a watery growl which the ice dragon responded with another chilling roar. Whereas the water dragon's movement was followed by a swish the ice dragon's body scratched on itself. Both dragons launched from their coiled positions at the same time rushing for a collision in the center of the field. Just when it looked as if there would be a tremendous collision the more agile water dragon spiraled around the ice dragon continuing on towards Haku leaving the ice dragon on a straight beeline for Narumi.

There were simultaneous crashes as each dragon slammed into the wall opposite of them shrouding the impact site in a wall of smoke. The crowd held their breath as they waited for the field to clear to see who won the final collision. When the smoke cleared there was a collective gasp as both Narumi and Haku were lying on their chests unconscious. The Kumo kunoichi who was the proctor of the match checked on both of them before signaling for the medics to come on to the field. Clearing her throat she raised both of her arms into the air getting the audience to quiet down. "The match ends in a draw!"

* * *

_Combatant Booth_

Naruto rolled his shoulders getting annoyed caw from Suisei which made him roll his eyes that were still burning with the _Sharingan_. Once the combat field was cleared away Naruto walked past the other three people in the booth and down the staircase. Chojuro watched Naruto disappear and gulped silently because he could feel the intensity radiating off of the Hokage's son. Steeling himself the blue haired swordsman followed after his fellow swordsman ready to do battle.

Yuna who was pretty much recovered from her fight with Naomi glanced over to the other end of the booth where Gaara stood. The Acid Release user stood on guard since it was just she and Gaara and the Jinchuuriki was clearly unstable and could attack her at any moment. 'Just great they had to knock each other out last match and leave me alone with the psychopath.'

Gaara paid absolutely no mind to the kunoichi who was sharing the booth with him instead keeping his gaze firmly on Naruto. The auburn haired boy didn't know what it was about Naruto that put him at ease but now Naruto would be able to prove himself in this match by winning that was the only acceptable result in Gaara's mind.

'Show me Uzumaki…'

* * *

_Combat Field_

The tomoe in Naruto's eyes spun about in a circular cycle as he reached back and readied _Twilight_ for the battle. Chojuro tightened his hold on _Hiramekarei _as he was lulled into a comfort but remembering the stage Chojuro shook away the fog. Naruto was already upon him with his katana coming down over the top of Chojuro's shoulder. Chojuro hurled _Hiramekarei _up to fend off Naruto's smaller blade. Not wanting to be thrown off of his center of balance Naruto spun his body with the momentum the gray of hue of _Twilight_ filled Chojuro's vision before it fell down to his waist. Chojuro suddenly grimaced when he felt the flesh on his stomach being dug into by the sharp end of his opponent's katana.

Chojuro jabbed the pommel of his Twinsword into Naruto's shoulder getting the space he wanted so he could reassess the situation. Chojuro was confused as why he was sluggish enough for Naruto to draw blood on such an obvious move. Chojuro jumped up and brought his massive sword down on the position Naruto was in but to no avail as the dojutsu using shinobi easily maneuvered himself out of the linear motion. Chojuro slashed out backwards sending the side of his blade on a direct line towards Naruto who calmly put _Twilight _up vertically and braced for impact. Naruto could feel the force being absorbed by his forearms and knowing his guard couldn't keep the larger sword at bay he flipped over the swinging blade.

While upside down traveling through the air Naruto slashed at Chojuro's head with his katana with a frightening accuracy. Chojuro's dipped his head to the side watching as the grey blade swept past his face while Naruto landed back on the ground. As Chojuro turned he saw a few locks of his blue hair falling to the ground confusing the Kiri swordsman. With his apparent problems on the defensive Chojuro lunged forward with his _Hiramekarei _pointed at Naruto ready to stab the Konoha Nin. Naruto moved to the left evading the lunging blade timing his hip check so that as Chojuro passed him his hip slammed into his ribcage. Chojuro winced and landed on a wobbly base distracted by the sudden attack.

Chojuro lifted his glasses back over his eyes as he charged _Hiramekarei_ with his chakra getting the sword to glow a deep blue. **"Sōtō****Ninpō: Chakra Slash!" **The blue wave of chakra was magnified by the sword which acted as a conduit. Naruto knew that he would not be able to sever the wave due to the strengthening from the sword. Naruto speared _Twilight _into the ground and jumped on the hilt of his sword putting him on an even level with the wave of chakra, just before the wave could hit him Naruto used his katana as a stepping stone jumping high into the air over the chakra slash. Chojuro looked up into the sky using his hand to block the sunlight from blinding him.

Naruto used the sun to make his figure a shadowy silhouette also forcing Chojuro to deal with the blinding light of the sun. Naruto's hands blurred through their signs ending on the sign of the _Tiger_. Naruto molded the chakra in his lungs harnessing the burning feeling that was coursing through his body funneling it up his throat. **"Fire Release: Grand Fireball!" **The compacted sphere of dark orange and deep red came flying down on Chojuro who could only see a dark circle coming closer. The shadow broke allowing Chojuro to see the steaming fireball getting him to leap away from the spot he was sparing himself from a fiery combustion.

The moment Naruto landed his hand was already wrapped around the hilt of his katana pulling it out of the ground Naruto raced towards Chojuro who was still on his back foot from leaping away from the ball of fire. Chojuro continued tracking backwards as he went through his own hand signs. **"Water Release: Water Bullet!" **Chojuro cried shooting a chakra infused glob of water towards the pursuing Naruto using his aggressiveness to his advantage. Naruto did not falter in his stride channeling fine coating of wind style chakra around his katana and with a fluid upward cut he spilt the water bullet in two.

Naruto continued forward then in mid-step Naruto disappeared with no sign of a natured _Shunshin_ showing how far he had come from using Shisui's scrolls he got on his birthday. Chojuro whirled around slashing behind him where he was met with a loud crunch. Glancing down Chojuro found the remains of a substitution log showing that his instincts were indeed true. Naruto was a standing a few feet across from Chojuro with his eyes narrowed on the blue haired swordsman from _Mizu no Kuni_. Naruto took out a handful of shuriken and threw them into the air going into a series of hand seals. **"Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire." **Naruto spat out a series of small fireballs that surrounded the shuriken using his chakra to manipulate the flight of the spinning stars.

Chojuro held _Hiramekarei _in front of his body horizontally creating a shield from the fiery shuriken using chakra to keep the fires from expanding and exploding in his face. Once the shuriken were resting against the metal of his Twinsword he swung his sword sending the shuriken back towards Naruto. Naruto easily wove his way out of the shuriken barrage using his _Sharingan_. Chojuro tested his body to see if his movements were back to their normal speed when he caught something abnormal in his muscle movements. Chojuro's eyes widened when he realized what was wrong with his body. 'He casted a Genjutsu on me when I looked into his eyes at the beginning of the match!'

Chojuro put his grand blade back in the holster on his back needing both hands for what he was going to do next. Slapping his palms together Chojuro cut off his chakra flow temporarily before releasing a concentrated wave of chakra out. Chojuro glanced back down to see that his muscle movements were no longer altered. It was only thanks to the intense muscle memory training that swordsman go through that he was able to spot the miniscule change to his body. Chojuro hefted his large Twinsword back into position with a grin that showed off his pointed, shark teeth, a trait shared by the swordsmen of the Mist.

* * *

_In The Stands_

"It's about time that kid realized he was under a Genjutsu." Asuma muttered while leaning back into his chair ignoring the disturbed frown on Kurenai's face from his smoking habit. Rubbing out the lit end on the arm of the chair Asuma looked down at Naruto standing there calmly like he was planning every step of the battle.

"Why didn't Naruto just finish him while he was under the Sharingan's Genjutsu? He was never one to toy around with his opponent." Kurenai asked aloud getting nods from the other Jounin sensei that had Naruto on their teammate at one point. Kiba scoffed at the fact that Naruto was the center of attention yet again.

"No one knows what's going on in that lunatics mind!" Kiba said rudely not noticing that he didn't get the bark from Akamaru as usual because he had hopped into Hinata's lap for comfort. Kiba failed to notice Naomi get behind him and bash him over the head with her fist.

"Don't you insult my Nii-san Dog Breath!" Naomi shouted with a twitching brow and hair that was swaying like death itself getting a few people around her to take a step back in fear for their safety. Kushina started to laugh happily seeing her girl act just as she would while the Scarecrow of the group just sweat dropped at his student's antics.

* * *

_Combat Field_

Chojuro now knowing his body was back at full operating speed rushed forward thrusting _Hiramekarei _towards Naruto who moved to evade the stabbing lunge but was caught in the ribs when Chojuro swung the flat side of has blade towards Naruto. Naruto growled at himself for falling for a feint as he used chakra to stop himself from tumbling around the floor. Naruto propelled off his back foot towards Chojuro slicing down with his katana but Chojuro's original speed proved enough for the _Kirigakure_ shinobi to parry the direct assault. Breaking the assault Chojuro swung his larger weapon down forcing Naruto to drift to left throwing off an upcoming slash.

Naruto and Chojuro continued to thrust and slash their swords resulting in a clang each time their steel met the others. Naruto looked to see his vest had a number of cuts on it all from the past few exchanges with his opponent. Naruto scolded himself for falling behind Chojuro in swordsmanship even if he was in a group known for swordplay it was still unacceptable. Naruto brandished his two colored katana and began to channel his chakra into the metal of the katana. The white section gleamed brilliantly while the black section glowed menacingly meeting in the middle where a dull grey was illuminating the blade.

"**Kami ken'nomai: Severance from the Material World." **Naruto swung his glowing katana and a thick wave of energy flew towards Chojuro who was in the process of swinging his sword around in a circular motion. Suddenly a large hole of chakra opened up in the air in front of Chojuro. The attack from Naruto was swallowed up by the hole created by Chojuro getting Naruto to narrow his eyes in agitation seeing his attack fail. Chojuro let his _Hiramekarei _slump down showing that creating that chakra hole took quite the hammer to his chakra reserves. Standing up Chojuro willed himself as he went through his hand seals to push on the attack.

"**Water Release: Shark Bomb!"** The water coming from Chojuro's mouth slowly formed into a great white shark that was looking at Naruto like its prey. Naruto didn't have enough time to dissect the jutsu before it swam forth towards Naruto. The _Sharingan _user found that the chakra was too concentrated for him to slice through the jutsu. Naruto brought of his guard just as the shark's powerful jaw ripped into his arms and drove him straight into the wall behind him. Chojuro seeing the success of his attack waited to see if he had done any serious damage with his last move. Naruto got back onto his feet and everyone could see the sleeves of his vest were shredded with blood dripping down his hairline and forearms.

Naruto tapped into the _Soul Link_ he had with Suisei. 'Hey Suisei are you still flying overhead?' Naruto asked with a slight pant as the damage to his body was a little more severe than he had expected from the water style jutsu. Naruto glared down Chojuro his _Sharingan_ seeming to burn through the swordsman's very soul.

"I'm here Naruto-kun! What do you need me for? I can't really do anything significant." Suisei admitted bitterly as she flew around Chojuro high in the sky escaping his attention. Naruto almost laughed when his partner admitted she couldn't help but he had other plans.

'Yes you can just shed a nice amount of feathers around my opponent and I will take care of the rest.' Naruto said watching as the black feathers from Suisei's wings started to fall all around Chojuro garnering his attention. Naruto smiled as he went through a few hand signs and focused on the space around Chojuro. **"Wind Release: Shadow Hurricane!" **The wind around Chojuro started to swirl violently taking the feathers around Chojuro turning them into small swirling blades. The feathers also made the wind dark as night hiding Chojuro from the eyes of the arena. Naruto knew that the feathers would be sped up by his Wind Release making them very dangerous.

Naruto started to go through the signs for the last step of his plan, his hands ending in the _Tiger_ sign. **'Fire Release: Grand Fireball.' **Naruto holding the _Tiger _seal added a different variation to the traditional fireball. From Naruto's mouth came the constant fire as it sped forward and touched the black hurricane that had Chojuro trapped in its eye. Once the flamethrower came into contact with the hurricane the two elements melded and formed a huge explosion that caused a lot of smoke to rise into the air. Naruto knew the match was over once Suisei came back and landed on his shoulder knowing she saw the whole thing.

Over near the end of the field Chojuro was lying on his back with his glasses broken and his clothing charred. There were cuts all around his body showing the feathers had done their job with the aid of the wind. The symbolic display of _Hiramekarei _discarded on the ground away from Chojuro signaled the _Kirigakure _shinobi's defeat. The Suna proctor stepped back into the center of the field after blowing away the ash of the burnt feathers away.

"Winner by knockout, Naruto Namikaze-Uzumaki-Uchiha!"

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**Review Response: **

**The Fights: **_I won't make you read them but I figured it is better to have an average fight instead of two lines or sometimes people are just like "yeah I am skipping these…" I won't be doing that so sorry? Not really. But if you like them then it's all good!_

**Why not Kamui: **_Because Obito exists and has that as does Kakashi but just at a later time. There is no eye available to take that ability. _

**Jinchuuriki: **_Yes I know that they were undefeated but that was because how I perceived them to be. Jinchuuriki are definitely going to win most fights when facing off against other Genin but not always._

**You guys: **_It's good to see new faces with the reviews but I also appreciate seeing people from the earlier chapters still reading. I appreciate the support!_

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**AN: Here is the next chapter and man am I glad it's done. I was totally going to get it done yesterday but then I hit a giant lazy streak. One more chapter then I close the book on the Chunin Exams arc. Thanks for reading like always. If you read the whole thing why not leave a review? Have a nice night! Ja Ne! -Matt**


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